A beautiful early 20th-century landscape painting by German artist, Wilhelm Fritzel (1870-1943). It depicts a young lady carrying a bell as she walks ahead of her cow along a worn countryside track. Behind her, a large property is surrounded by tall walls and an old stone gatehouse.

With an impressionistic touch, Fritzel has captured the daylight as it falls between the trees and illuminates the figures. It’s one of his finest works, particularly for its use of colour and the mood it conveys.

Fritzel studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, which was the leading German Academy for many years. He was taught by an eclectic mixture of artists including Olof Jernberg, Hugo Crola, Adolf Schill, Peter Janssen, Arthur Kampf and Eugen Dücker.

The painting is signed in the lower left and titled on the reverse.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 35½” x 23½” / 90cm x 60cm
Year of creation: c. 1915
Provenance: Germany
Condition: Very presentable overall with no issues.
Artist’s auction highlight: £2,408 achieved for ‘The Rocky Shore’ at Sotheby’s in 1990.