Study for the Goat in 'The Scapegoat'

Hunt began 'The Scapegoat' in 1854 on the shores of the Dead Sea in Palestine. On his second visit to the Dead Sea he took with him a white goat, bought in Jerusalem. He worked first on the background of the oil painting, leaving a blank space for the goat. This pencil sketch, along with others in the Walker Art Gallery collection, was drawn around this time and show him trying out different positions for the goat's head and legs. Hunt eventually completed the painting in Jerusalem from a brown goat, its head facing lower down than in the sketches.