LONDON.- On Wednesday, December 8, 2010, Sotheby’s London will present for sale arguably the finest painting by the British master George Stubbs (1724-1806) ever to come to the market: Brood Mares and Foals, estimated at £10-15 million. Painted in 1767, at the height of the artist’s career, the mares and foals scene is a superlative example of Stubbs’ talents as both a horse and landscape painter. Never before offered for sale, the painting has remained in a distinguished family collection for all of its life to date and its appearance at auction therefore represents an exceptionally rare opportunity for both equestrian and British art collectors alike. The painting was probably commissioned by Colonel George Lane Parker, the second son of George Parker — the second Earl of Macclesfield of Shirburn Castle, Oxfordshire — and an important owner of Stubbs’ work. It then passed to Thomas Parker, the third Ea