Oil Painting by Sir George Stubbs

This work is one of three images of blackbuck antelopes in anatomist Dr. William Hunter's collection. Despite its unfinished appearance, the painting does convey a sense of the antelope's grace, prettiness, and imminent movement. It is an accurate likeness of an individual animal. The deformed horns suggest that the animal was badly fed in captivity. Hunter may have commissioned this study for his own private use. Equally, Stubbs may have had the opportunity to study the animal, and decided to paint it, knowing that a variety of clients were likely to be interested by such a work. The painting used to be referred to as a 'pigmy antelope', following an erroneous identification of the animal in the 19th century.

This object from the collection of the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery was selected by Shan MacDonald who created the Hunterian Art Gallery's Relic Challenge.