Conformation and the Parade Ring · At the Rail
'Hambletonian' Beating 'Diamond' (after George Stubbs)
James Ward after George Stubbs, oil on canvas, early 19th c. · oil on canvas
What it is
Hambletonian draws just clear of Diamond in the last strides of their four-mile match, Ward reworking Stubbs's subject at the moment of the race itself.
Why it matters
The 1799 match between these two was one of the most punishing and most argued-over contests the turf ever ran; Stubbs painted the horse rubbed down afterward, Ward chose the race still in progress.
What to notice
the visible strain through Hambletonian's neck and jaw, a horse painted at the very edge of what he had left.
Some races are still being run in paint.
Provenance
- Maker
- James Ward after George Stubbs, oil on canvas, early 19th c.
- Era
- The Georgian Turf (1750–1837)
- Chapter
- The Yard Wakes
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Made
- 1810
- Horse
- Hambletonian
- Source
- National Trust (1220967)
Print master
The largest formats are printed from a master enlarged 3× from the surviving 1200×639 scan by AI enhancement (Claid smart-enhance), prepared for the considered detail of a print viewed at distance. The source record above is unchanged — the enhancement serves the wall, not the archive.
Rights: CLEAR. Public domain — U.S. 95-year rule (published 1930 or earlier). Gated by the work’s own year of publication. Cleared by registry on 2026-07-20.
Format
The full-resolution, color-managed file — restored honestly, yours to print and keep.
Sized to protect print quality — this scan supports sizes up to 18x24" cleanly.
Size
$29.00
More from the Stable Wall
Elsewhere in the family
- The Links — the other morning religion.
- Painted Lineage — the bloodline, beside the family line.
- Painted Earth — home ground as a period map.