i) The Kongouro from New Holland; ii) Portrait of a Large Dog
George Stubbs
- Art Funded
- 2013
- Dimensions
- I) 60.5 x 71.5 cm; ii) 61 x 71 cm
- Vendor
- Angela Nevill
Stubbs created these two works – The Kongouro from New Holland and Portrait of a Large Dog – in 1772, after Captain James Cook brought back the skins of a kangaroo and a dingo from his 'voyage of discovery' to Australasia.
The skins were used as a model for Stubbs's paintings, which were the first depictions of the animals in western art. The works were first exhibited in London in 1773 and have stayed in the UK ever since. They were privately owned until late 2012, when they were sold to a private buyer outside the UK. The artistic and historical significance of the works led them to be placed under an export bar in January 2013, when the National Maritime Museum launched an appeal to raise the funds to keep the works in the country. These works were acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.
Provenance
Commissioned by Joseph Banks; by descent; Hon. Clive Pearson; Alicia Pearson; by descent.