This charming mid-19th-century oil painting by British artist Alfred Vickers (1786-1868) depicts a drover with livestock navigating an upland country road.

A young shepherd boy rests on a low stone wall, his back to the sun. While an older lady, perhaps his mother, guides the cattle onward. She appears to be wearing a red shawl and tall traditional Welsh hat. Over on the right, wisps of smoke rise from the chimney of a nestled cottage, as characteristically British clouds hover above.

There’s an interesting pentimento on the right with an outline of a second cottage faintly visible.

This idyllic vision of rural life was captured by an artist who adored the British countryside. Inspired by Constable, Vickers studied nature’s various moods with careful observation, often working outside. His short brushstrokes and deftness with colour are comparable to some of the French plein-air painters of the mid-19th century. A subject we’ve discussed in an essay.

However, Vickers was earlier than many who adopted this style and, as such, was overlooked by the critics who favoured the finer Victorian painters. Despite exhibiting over 60 times at the Royal Academy, he died in relative obscurity. It’s safe to say that if he worked in France during this period he’d be celebrated as a pioneer.

Signed in the lower left and held within a later frame.

Learn more about Alfred Vickers in our directory.

Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 20” x 16” / 51cm x 41cm
Year of creation: c. 1860
Labels & Inscriptions: Inscribed with artist’s details on the reverse.
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in excellent condition.
Artist’s auction maximum: £10,000 for ‘View Near Conway, North Wales’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, Fine Victorian Pictures - Drawings And Other Works Of Art, London, 1997 (lot 128).
Our reference: BRV2082