| Object: | “Zebra,” by George Stubbs |
|---|---|
| Date: | 1763 |
| Medium: | Oil on canvas |
| Where to find: | Yale Center for British Art |
What to know: This zebra, sent as a wedding gift from the governor of South Africa to the young Queen Charlotte of Great Britain in 1762, was kept in public view in a paddock near the former Buckingham House, now Buckingham Palace. The self-taught English painter George Stubbs (1724-1806), known for his expressive and realistic paintings of horses and other animals, encapsulates the Enlightenment’s fascination with the exotic in this meticulously studied portrait.
“Zebra,” by George Stubbs (English, 1724-1806)
From the expert: “The zebra in Stubbs’ painting belongs to a long history of bringing animals from other continents to England and Europe as ‘exotic’ spectacles,” says Marisa Bass, professor in the history of art in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, pointing to the “malnutrition, mistreatment, and often painful deaths” these animals endured. “Yet rarely do images of these captured animals show a sense of empathy for their subjects. By isolating the zebra in a wooded landscape that is so clearly not the animal’s natural habitat, Stubbs may be an exception.”
In popular culture: Queen Charlotte’s zebra received her small screen debut in Netflix’s series “Bridgerton,” in 2022.
