This charming late-19th-century oil painting by British artist Isaac Henzell RBA (1815-1876) depicts a young girl resting her arm on a horse as it takes water from a mountain spring. It was possibly shown at the Society of British Artists in 1873.
Bowing its head wearily, the worn bay rests in the shadow of a mountain - somewhat refreshed by springwater. Its rider, a young red-headed woman, stands alongside and holds the reins. Beyond, the majestic upland scenery continues far into the distance. It’s a tinted vision of a romanticised idyll.
Born in Sheffield, to a merchant, Henzell's formative years were likely rather challenging following the premature death of his mother. Little is known about his childhood or training but the census of 1841 records him as boarding in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Here, he began his career as an artist, producing portraits from the town’s Grainger Street.
In 1842, he married Nancy Hemy, of the highly-regarded Hemy family of musicians, and it appears that his marriage provided the catalyst for his growth as an artist. He turned to genre subjects, an area he excelled in, and over time he began to develop a solid local reputation.
From the start, Henzell had a talent for scenes, especially those with a sentimental narrative. Girls carry baskets laden with produce, while barefooted fisherfolk gather optimistically on shores. Intriguingly, many of these paintings feature what appears to be the same red-headed girl - from 1843 through to 1873. She retains her youthful appearance, untarnished by time, so evidently he was working predominantly from earlier sketches. It’s also interesting that very few of his scenes depict male subjects.
In 1852, together with his wife, son and daughter, he undertook a gruelling trip to Australia. It’s likely that they lived together in Melbourne where the conditions were intolerable and lawless. Other members of the Hemy family had emigrated some two years earlier in search of gold. Tragically, Henzell’s nine-year-old son died in Collingwood, Victoria, within four months of arrival. They were back in England by 1854.
Once returned, his career gathered further traction following his debut at the British Institution, Royal Academy, and the Society of British Artists. He was elected a member of the latter in 1855 and it’s where the mainstay of his works were shown. It appears he remained in London until 1865 before moving to Tyneside and then back to the capital, where he died in 1876.
Today, Isaac Henzell is represented in numerous public collections including the Bolton Museum, Laing Art Gallery, Reading Museum, and the Shipley Art Gallery. This piece was previously sold at Christie's, New York, in 1986 and Bonhams, London, in 2004.
Signed/dated in the lower right and held within a splendid scroll and foliate gilt frame, which is possibly original.
Learn more about Isaac Henzell in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 27½” x 23½” / 70cm x 60cm
Year of creation: 1872
Labels & Inscriptions: Inscribed with title on the reverse (after its reline).
Provenance: Christie’s, New York, 28 October 1986, lot 42 / British & Continental Pictures, Bonhams, London, 12 October 2004, lot 194 / Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Artist’s auction maximum: £6,000 for ‘The Fisherman's Family’, Oil on canvas, Andrew Hilditch & Son Ltd, Oil Paintings, Watercolours & Works of Art, Cheshire, 1998 (lot 265).
Our reference: BRV2004
