Natural phenomena were both an object of study and a source of awe for 18th‑century artists and scientists, who endeavored to describe the natural world, master its complexity, and convey its sublime power. By manipulating setting, light, and color, Stubbs gives his realistic representation of the lions, plants, and trees an eerie and fantastic quality. Initially a portraitist and anatomical illustrator, Stubbs gained fame with the publication The Anatomy of the Horse (1766) and translated his aptitude for rendering likeness and the musculature of animals into works such as this.

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