College Library receives rare copy of landmark book by horse artist
鈥淚 am delighted to know that it will be in good hands, and have a new life鈥
A 258-year-old first edition of a groundbreaking book by animal portraitist George Stubbs is now in the care of the Old Library of St John鈥檚 College thanks to a former veterinary student.
The copy of The Anatomy of the Horse, published in 1766, was presented to Tanya Kirk, the College Librarian, by alumnus Philip Paxman, who studied at St John鈥檚 to be a vet in the 1960s.
Mr Paxman bought the large, rare book in 1985 for 拢3,500 through an antiquarian bookseller. Now valued at around 拢25,000, the book has been loaned to the College Library for the rest of Mr Paxman鈥檚 life with the intention that it will become a bequest.
During the presentation, Mr Paxman said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful thing and I鈥檓 feeling very sentimental but I am delighted to know that it will be in good hands, and have a new life in which it will fulfil its role and be enjoyed by others.鈥
The loan is of particular significance because 2024 is the tercentenary of the birth of Stubbs (1724-1806), who was a self-taught engraver and printmaker and son of a Liverpool leather worker.
Early in his career, Stubbs spent 18 months working in a barn in which he hung horse carcasses on hooks to gradually dissect them and draw their anatomy. It was the first time such a thorough equine study had been undertaken. He also taught himself the art of engraving so that the detailed illustrations could be printed to his high standards.
His book, which includes 24 illustrations and is known for its accuracy and expressiveness, advanced scientific knowledge at the time and was used by horse breeders, farriers and in veterinary medicine. It was also groundbreaking from an artistic perspective, showing that artists could lavish the same attention onto animals in portraiture as they would do with human sitters.
Dr David Williams, College Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine and Pathology, University Lecturer in Veterinary Ophthalmology and a Fellow of St John鈥檚, is fascinated by Stubbs鈥檚 horse etchings and is writing an article on Mr Paxman鈥檚 book. 鈥淚t is very exciting to have such a wonderful copy of this book at St John鈥檚. The engravings really are remarkable and were far ahead of their time,鈥 he said.
Ms Kirk said it was very exciting to receive the book into the care of the Library, and said staff will undertake some research into its historical provenance. The copy includes a bookplate on the inside cover, and an embossed stamp of an as-yet-unidentified crest.
Stubbs is perhaps best-known by the public for his horse painting, Whistlejacket, which hangs in The National Gallery. Another of his paintings of a horse and its rider, Gimcrack with John Pratt up on Newmarket Heath, is held in Cambridge鈥檚 Fitzwilliam Museum.
Published 17/9/2024