ticketsMember | Make a donation

A Sleeping Leopard

January 1, 1791
Not on view
Stubbs’s masterful ability to both describe animals and suggest their inner life is evident in the curled form of this unconscious great cat. Soft-ground etching, enhanced with roulette work, was used to create the inky darkness that cloaks the sleeping body. At several points, the profile of the animal’s body merges with the gnarled tree trunk at its back, while its open mouth echoes the rounded negative spaces between the branches above. Pushing the possibilities of his medium, Stubbs captured the distinct textures of bark, fur, and rocky ground using a limited tonal range. Lions, tigers, and leopards represented nature’s ferocity and evoked terror for eighteenth-century viewers, an emotion associated with the sublime.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: A Sleeping Leopard
  • Artist: George Stubbs (British, Liverpool 1724–1806 London)
  • Published in: London
  • Date: January 1, 1791
  • Medium: Soft-ground etching with roulette work; second state of two
  • Dimensions: 7 1/8 x 9 5/16 in. (18.1 x 23.7 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949
  • Object Number: 49.49.5
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Dog (A Foxhound Viewed from Behind), George Stubbs British, Roulette work with etching; first and only state
Dog (A Foxhound Viewed from Behind)
George Stubbs
May 1, 1788
A Lion (A Lion Resting on a Rock), George Stubbs British, Etching with roulette work; only state
A Lion (A Lion Resting on a Rock)
George Stubbs
May 1, 1788
A Horse Affrighted at a Lion, George Stubbs British, Etching with roulette work; third state of three
A Horse Affrighted at a Lion
George Stubbs
May 1, 1788
The Anatomy of the Horse, including a particular description of the bones, cartilages, muscles, fascias, ligaments, nerves, arteries, veins, and glands, George Stubbs British, Illustrations: etching
The Anatomy of the Horse, including a particular description of the bones, cartilages, muscles, fascias, ligaments, nerves, arteries, veins, and glands
George Stubbs
1766
A Tyger (A Recumbent Leopard by a Tree), George Stubbs British, Etching with roulette work; first and only state
A Tyger (A Recumbent Leopard by a Tree)
George Stubbs
May 1, 1788

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.