Sir Edwin Henry Landseer

Shoeing

exhibited 1844

Image released under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)

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Not on display

Artist: Sir Edwin Henry Landseer 1802–1873
Medium: Oil paint on canvas
Dimensions: Support: 1422 x 1118 mm
Frame: 1815 x 1505 x 130 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Bequeathed by Jacob Bell 1859
Reference: N00606

Display caption

This picture was commissioned by Jacob Bell who was one of Landseer’s most important patrons. It portrays Bell’s mare ‘Old Betty’. Bell originally wanted Landseer to depict the mare with her foal. However, Landseer repeatedly put off the commission. By the time he was ready to paint ‘Old Betty’ the foal had outgrown its mother. In introducing a donkey into the composition Landseer was using a device popular with many other animal painters, whereby the donkey’s rough coat is contrasted with the sleekness of the horse.

Gallery label, November 2016

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