Two Gentlemen Shooting

Two Gentlemen Shooting from 1769 by George Stubbs depicts the field sport that occupied the Georgian sporting aristocracy between the hunting and racing seasons, here combining figure, canine, and landscape painting in a composite sporting subject. The two gunmen—identified only by social type rather than specific identity—are accompanied by a dog, the three-part subject offering Stubbs the opportunity to demonstrate his skills across multiple painting categories within a single canvas. His treatment of gun dogs brings the same careful observation of breed characteristics and body type that distinguished his equestrian portraits. The painting belongs to the series of shooting subjects Stubbs produced in the late 1760s that complemented his racing and hunting commissions. The work is held at the Yale Center for British Art.

The sporting scene combines Stubbs's skills in figure, animal, and landscape painting, each element rendered with his characteristic precision.