A sublime depiction of a moorland road by Scottish artist, Thomas Millie Dow (1848-1919). It’s an interesting piece that’s bordering on abstract with many of the finer details omitted in favour of broad gestural marks.

The composition consists of three horizontal layers with a road arching its way through the foreground. You can imagine Dow rapidly painting this outside - keen to catch the last of the evening’s light.

Dow trained in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts and later at the ateliers of Rudolphe Julien and Carolus Duran. His landscapes span various continents but we feel that this work probably depicts a moor in Scotland.

Dow exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh and at the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Art. In 1897, David Martin described Dow as follows. “His perception of colour is similar to his use of paint – keen and refined; and his observation of nature such as to give a true feeling of form, without a slavish imitation.”

The painting is inscribed on the reverse and held within a good later frame.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 32½” x 26” / 83cm x 68cm
Year of creation: c. 1900
Provenance: England
Condition: Very presentable. Craquelure but the paint layer is stable. Frame with some light wear.
Artist’s auction highlight: £4,100 achieved for ‘ Spring, St Ives Bay’ at auction in 2014.