Portrait of a Young Gentleman Out Shooting by Stubbs

Acquisition of 'Portrait of a Young Gentleman out Shooting' 1781, enamel on Wedgwood biscuit earthenware, 457 x 622mm. In the late 1760's Stubbs began a series of unusual experiments in the use of enamel pigments, first on copper and later - as in this case - on ceramics. He evidently hoped to produce in this medium, hitherto confined to miniatures, works of art that were not subject to the same gradual fading as oils on canvas. The process was technically difficult and not a commercial success. Nevertheless, the venture resulted in a series of remarkable works of crisp, unfading brilliance, among which this is one of the most attractive to survive. The subject here is traditionally identified as William Huth Esq, son of a gentleman farmer, but nothing further is known about him.