A Black and White Spaniel Pointing by George Stubbs

Auctioned by Bonhams in London for £252,300

Once considered a lost work of the English painter George Stubbs, this oil painting of a spaniel pointing to the left, in a wooded landscape with a church spire just beyond it, was a highlight of Bonhams’ recent Old Master Paintings sale. Although the self-trained artist was most sought-after during his lifetime as a painter of horses, Stubbs also received numerous commissions for portraits of dogs, usually by the aristocratic owners of both animals. This particular work is thought to have been created in the second half of the 1770s, depicting a sporting dog scenting a bird with one foot characteristically raised.