Jacques-Laurent Agasse was an animal and landscape painter from Switzerland, born in Geneva in 1767. Before he turned twenty, he went to Paris to study in veterinary school to make himself fully acquainted with the anatomy of horses and other animals. He is known for his scientific approach to rendering the creatures he depicted and his highly refined technique. His work was so admired that a rich Englishman took him to England after being impressed by a painting Agasse did of his favorite dog. Agasse was one of the most celebrated animal painters at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. His extreme devotion to art, his marvelous knowledge of anatomy, his special fondness for the English racehorses, and his excellence in depicting them made a significant cultural impact. He first appeared in the Academy catalogues in 1801 as the exhibitor of the 'Portrait of a Horse', and continued to exhibit more or less until 1845. His work continues to be celebrated for its remarkable lifelike depictions of animals..
