This charming late 19th-century oil painting by British artist Alfred Augustus Glendening (1840-1921) depicts a picturesque river landscape with cattle and ducks.

Born in Hampton on Thames, London, Glendening was raised in an area popular with Victorian artists. The river, with its zig-zagging steamboats and silvery waters, providing ample inspiration for a young impressionable mind. This fascinating environment delivered the building blocks for his artistic development, and one can imagine him sketching on the riverbank along with other painters. It would take a little time before he turned to art as a career but, once he pursued his calling, success was inevitable.

Travel during the mid-19th century was becoming a little easier thanks to the emerging rail network, and Glendening filled his sketchbooks on various cross-country trips. In 1864, he debuted at The Royal Society of British Artists with a view from Cumbria’s picturesque Lake District. And the following year, he exhibited ‘A Cornfield, Kent’ at the Royal Academy. Many of his works were centred around shimmering water with the Isle of Wight another frequent destination.

Soon, the rising middle classes took note and he quickly became a firm favourite. With views in North Wales, the Highlands, Surrey, and Devon captured with a deft touch. His approach was predominantly naturalistic and lacked the grandiosity of many early Victorian painters. His tranquil vignettes are skilfully observed with dapples of light dancing across reflected foliage. The occasional bird picked out with weight and movement.

Here, in this picturesque sunlit view from 1896, he captures nature at her most buoyant. Cattle cool off under a prominent beech tree as the surface of the skilfully-handled river flickers into life.

Glendening’s exquisite draughtsmanship was matched by a keen understanding of tone and value - resulting in balanced compositions with blissful moods.

By 1903, he’d exhibited 47 works at the Royal Academy. Quite an achievement for a late starter. Today, various museums hold examples including at Southampton and Newport.

Signed/dated lower left and held within a later frame.

Learn more about Alfred Augustus Glendening in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 29½” x 22” / 75cm x 56cm
Year of creation: 1896
Provenance: Private collection, Germany.
Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Cleaned. Fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame restored.
Artist’s auction maximum: £32,000 for ‘Bramber Castle’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, 19th Century Pictures & Continental Watercolours, London, 1988 (lot 111).
Our reference: BRV1854