This charming early 19th-century oil painting by English artist Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding (1787-1855) depicts a landscape with cottage, figures and cattle. It’s a fine example of his work in oils.

Twisted birch trees stretch lazily before a delicate river, which extends towards a leafy horizon. Cattle graze in the foreground. It’s an idyllic vision of the natural world, set under a backlit sky peppered with clouds. Just like the artist himself, it’s quintessentially British.

Copley Fielding treasured the scenic beauty of the British countryside and was captivated by the ever-changing effects of light and nature’s enduring appeal. Working prolifically across the Isles, he captured picturesque views from the Sussex Downs to the expansive lakes of the Highlands.
 
He exhibited 327 works at the Royal Watercolour Society and 17 paintings at the Royal Academy. Today, he’s represented in numerous public collections, including at the V&A, British Museum, Tate, Wallace Collection and Berlin National Gallery.

Held in a gilt frame, which is possibly original.

Learn more about Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 27½” x 23½” / 70cm x 60cm
Year of creation: c. 1830
Labels & Inscriptions: Roberson & Miller supplier’s stencil on the reverse, which dates to circa 1830.
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Artist’s auction maximum: £21,000 for ‘Extensive View of Greenwich, London (1821)’, Watercolour, pencil, pen, brown ink, gum arabic/paper, Christie’s, British Art On Paper, London, 2003 (lot 70).
Our reference: BRV2183