Object Details
Artist
Thomas J. Scott, born Tullytown, PA-died Lexington, KY 1888
Luce Center Label
The famous racehorse Lexington was born in Kentucky in 1850 and went on to sire more winning horses than any other American thoroughbred before or since. Thomas J. Scott painted this image while living in Kentucky in the 1850s, when Lexington was at his peak. In an article for Turf, Field and Farm, Scott described the stallion's impressive stature: "Lexington was without a peer . . . fifteen hands three inches in height, of very extreme width from the point of one shoulder to the other, broad shoulder blades . . . Lexington came as near to being all horse and no ounce of surplus as one could imagine" (Hervey, Racing in America, 1944). The rich tones in this image emphasize the thoroughbred's glossy coat and lean, prize-winning form.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection
Date
ca. 1857
Object number
1980.137.93
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Painting
Medium
oil on canvas mounted on fiberboard
Dimensions
sight 24 1/8 x 34 3/8 in. (61.3 x 87.4 cm.)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Painting and Sculpture
On View
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 15B
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Animal\horse
Animal\portrait\Lexington
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1980.137.93
