A beautiful 19th-century landscape painting depicting a breezy day in Surrey by Dutch artist, Joseph Thors (c. 1835-1920).

A horseback rider is travelling along a country track. In the distance, another figure is coming towards them. On the right of the composition, a small cottage is nestled into the trees - smoke from its chimney blows in the wind.

Thors spent most of his life working in England but also travelled back to his native Holland from time to time. He’s recorded as having lived in London and Birmingham.

He exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, the British Institution, and the Society of British Artists. 14 of his works are held within public collections.

The painting is signed in the lower left and held within an appropriate later frame.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 31½” x 23½” / 80cm x 60cm
Year of creation: c. 1870
Provenance: Germany
Condition: Overall very presentable. Light craquelure but the paint layer is stable. Frame with some light wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £13,000 achieved for ‘Summer Pastures’ at Sotheby’s in 1993.