Jacques-Laurent AGASSE (Geneva, 1767 - London, 1849) Brown bay horse Oil on canvas Bay-brown horse, oil on canvas, by J.-L. Agasse 18.11 x 21.65 in. 46 x 55 cm Provenance: Private collection, Paris Born in Geneva to a family of Huguenot origin, Agasse trained in his native city before moving to Paris in 1786 to complete his artistic training in the studio of Jacques-Louis David. The outbreak of the French Revolution put an end to his stay in France, and he returned to Geneva in 1789. At the instigation of George Pitt, his greatest patron whom he had met a few years earlier, Agasse moved to London in 1800, with the ambition of establishing himself as a renowned animal painter among the local wealthy aristocracy. Like his illustrious predecessor George Stubbs, Agasse brought not only a perfect understanding of anatomy and exceptional draughtsmanship, but also a sensitivity and originality to the depiction of animals that made his work so distinctive. In our painting, he deploys his profound knowledge of anatomy while succeeding in conveying the animal's character. Set against a neutral, quickly brushed background, where the sky and earth are simply suggested, our artist presents us with this majestic bay-brown stallion with a lively eye. Using a perfect technical mastery of subtle glazes, he wonderfully renders the transparency of the animal's coat, as if alive on the canvas, ready to pounce. Our painting is very probably one of a series of works by the painter based on his own paintings mentioned in his Book of Truth. Another painting from this group, using the same aesthetic and technical canons, recently came onto the art market (see anonymous sale; New York, Christie's, 29 October 2019, no. 794). Jacques-Laurent AGASSE (Geneva, 1767 - London, 1849) 46 x 55 cm