Cats in Art: Miss Ann White's Kitten (Stubbs)

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art. I'm using some ideas from the coffee table book, The Cat in Art, by Stefano Zuffi.

Click image for larger. Image credit Artfinder.com, here.  Miss Ann White's Kitten, George Stubbs, 1790, oil on canvas, 10" x 12", held by Roy Miles Fine Paintings, London.

Zuffi tells us:

Stubbs is one of the great animal painters of all time, and was highly popular in Britain for his ability to capture with great sensitivity not only the exterior "portrayal" of an animal but also its feelings, its instincts, its internal nobility.

This adorable kitten also makes me wonder, who was Miss Ann White, and what was her relationship to the painter...and to her kitten? 

Also, I find quite remarkable the tiny size of the painting: a mere 10" by 12".  Now that's pretty darn small, yet we see all this wonderful, careful detail of a beautiful little kitty.