Hound Coursing a Stag

Hound Coursing a Stag from 1762 by George Stubbs captures the dynamic pursuit at the heart of English deer coursing, a sport in which hounds pursued deer by sight across open ground. The subject allowed Stubbs to render two different species—each with distinct anatomy, coloring, and movement pattern—in simultaneous athletic action, demonstrating his command of animal locomotion across species boundaries. His understanding of how different animals moved—horses at trot, canter, and gallop; dogs in coursing pursuit; stags in escape—was more comprehensive than any contemporary artist's, giving his action scenes a credibility that purely imaginative treatments lacked. The painting belongs to the early phase of his mature career, just before the publication of the Anatomy of the Horse established him as the supreme equine authority. The work is held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The pursuit is rendered with dynamic energy, both animals depicted in full stride with Stubbs's characteristic anatomical precision.