This splendid mid-19th-century oil painting by English artists William Shayer (1787-1879) and Edward Charles Williams (1807-1881) depicts an assortment of travellers outside a roadside inn. It’s a fine example of their collaborative work.
At times, when leading artists collaborate, it can have the effect of bringing the best qualities out in both of them. Here, we see Williams’ effectiveness with views and architecture (he evidently worked first). The inn, with its tired thatch and partially-timbered facade, is gently illuminated from the left. While beyond, through a gap in foliage, a glimpse of a distant church is visible. As a landscape, it’s an accomplished work in itself, but with the addition of figures by Shayer, it’s brought to life.
Shayer’s specialism was as a figure painter, and there’s a George Morland-esque ruggedness to his portrayals. Note the expert handling of the white horse towards the centre and the ‘weight’ of the man rolling the barrel. He assisted various members of the Williams family, and it’s believed that his second wife, Elizabeth Waller, was somehow related.
A comparable piece, titled ‘An Old Roadside Inn, Kent’ sold at Bonhams in 2013, reaching £13,125.
Signed/dated in the lower left and held in a later frame.
Learn more about William Shayer and Edward Charles Williams in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 54½” x 34” / 139cm x 87cm
Year of creation: 1850
Labels & Inscriptions: Gallery labels. Exhibition label.
Provenance: With Frost & Reed / Private collection, UK.
Exhibited: Bath, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath Festival, 1960s.
Condition: Cleaned. Canvas relined. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Artist’s auction maximum: William Shayer: £57,700 for ‘Isle of Wight with Figures and Horses (1854)’, Oil on canvas, Phillips, Early British and Victorian Paintings, London, 1996 (lot 83). Edward Charles Williams: £25,000 for ‘Punch and Judy/The Itinerant Musician’, Oil on canvas, Sotheby’s, Victorian & Edwardian Art, London, 2006 (lot 32).
Our reference: BRV2174
