The Fall of Phaeton
George Stubbs·1777
Historical Context
The Fall of Phaeton from 1777 by George Stubbs depicts the mythological subject of the sun god's son losing control of the solar chariot. This rare mythological subject allowed Stubbs to combine his equine expertise with classical narrative. Stubbs's oil technique was grounded in exhaustive anatomical study—he spent eighteen months dissecting horses at a Lincolnshire farmhouse before painting the plates for his Anatomy of the Horse (1766)—producing an exactitude of musculature and bone...
Technical Analysis
The plunging horses of the sun chariot are rendered with Stubbs's anatomical precision, the dramatic fall creating a dynamic composition of equine terror.
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