Credit: Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mrs. Robert B. Noyes in memory of Elisha Riggs. 1942.14.1
Described in 1794 as "perhaps the most graceful, neat, and expert public performer on horseback, that ever appeared in any part of the world," John Bill Ricketts delighted Americans, including president George Washington, with his horse riding skills. In this unfinished portrait, Stuart sketched the head of a horse with Ricketts's hand around the muzzle and later turned the aureole around Ricketts's head into another horse.
