A beautiful impressionistic oil painting depicting three girls, perhaps sisters, playing by a pond under a canopy of small trees.

The artist, Henry Charles Clifford (1861-1947), trained towards the end of the 19th-century when the French impressionists were in full swing and it’s very likely that he visited Paris during his studies. You can certainly see the influence of Monet - particularly in Clifford’s handling of the water and flora.

Note how the light illuminates the girls as they run along the water’s edge - with their reflections added to the water with a few well-placed marks.

Other works by Clifford also feature this impressive impressionistic style and several of them have sold through the leading auction houses, such as Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams.

The painting is signed on the reverse and housed within a frame that could be its original.

Medium: Oil on canvas laid on board
Overall size: 21” x 18½” / 54cm x 47cm
Year of creation: c. 1910
Provenance: Sweden
Condition: Very presentable. Frame with light age-related wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £1,000 achieved for ‘Figures With Sheep In A Wooded Landscape’ at an English auction in 1999.