Stubbs, George (1724-1806) - Duke of Richmond's racehorses at Goodwood 1760-1

Painted around 1760–1761, The Duke of Richmond's Racehorses at Goodwood is one of George Stubbs's most ambitious early commissions — a sweeping panorama of aristocratic sporting life set against the rolling Sussex Downs. The Duke of Richmond was one of the great patrons of 18th-century British sport, and Goodwood was his stage: a private racecourse of extraordinary beauty where the finest thoroughbreds in England were trained and raced. Stubbs captures the scene with the precision of a naturalist and the eye of a painter at the height of his powers — horses, jockeys, grooms, and the open landscape all held in perfect compositional balance. It is a painting about speed, wealth, and the golden age of the English thoroughbred — and it has never looked better than it does now.

Restoration & Remastering

The original had accumulated the familiar toll of time: yellowed varnish, flattened contrast, and colours far removed from what Stubbs painted in 1760. Our work was guided by a single question: what did this painting look like when it first hung in the Duke of Richmond's collection?

• Varnish yellowing removed — the amber cast was lifted, recovering the luminous Sussex sky, cleaner greens of the Downs, and the true colours of the jockeys' silks and horses' coats
• Horse anatomy sharpened — muscle definition, neck and shoulder structure, and the distinctive conformation of each thoroughbred were recovered, honouring Stubbs's famous anatomical precision
• Jockey silks restored — the colours of the racing silks, dulled by age, were brought back to their original vividness, giving each figure a distinct identity within the composition
• Shadow detail reopened — information lost in the darker areas of the horses' coats and the foreground was recovered, restoring genuine three-dimensional form
• Landscape depth corrected — the rolling Downs, the middle distance, and the horizon were separated and clarified, dramatically increasing the sense of space and air
• Sky drama enhanced — cloud volume increased, tonal range expanded, and subtle atmospheric light introduced so the Sussex sky feels open and luminous
• Coat sheen and texture recovered — the thoroughbreds' coats gained the sheen and subtle colour variation that distinguishes a Stubbs horse from any other painter's
• Dynamic range increased — richer blacks, brighter highlights, and stronger colour separation, while fully respecting the character of the original

The result is faithful to Stubbs's composition and intent, but optimized for modern display, large-format printing, and contemporary viewing. It still feels unmistakably like George Stubbs — but with over 260 years of dust, fading, and yellowed varnish stripped away.

Elliott Best Remastered prints are produced on premium archival museum stock for the finest colour fidelity and longevity.