This charming late-19th-century oil painting by British artist William Samuel Jay RBA (1843-1933) depicts a picturesque view with a stream and cattle. Jay was an accomplished painter of landscapes.
Under a typically English summertime sky, cows rest in abundant pasture - the silence only broken by the rippling of a stream cascading across exposed stone. Here the artist stood, immersed in the delights of the countryside. A man and his palette attempting to capture nature amid the fleeting effects of transient light.
Born in London, the son of a draper, Jay spent his formative years in Hanover Square and Kentish Town. Little is known about his training but he evidently developed an early skill for landscapes as, by the age of 25, he was exhibiting at the Society of British Artists. The Royal Academy five years later.
Following his marriage to Ann Webster in 1882 in Steyning, Sussex, the census records him as residing in the picturesque historic village of Lyminster near Arundel. He spent the remainder of his life in Sussex, frequently capturing its rolling hills and scenic woods - while developing a solid local reputation.
His style is distinctly naturalistic and reminds us of his contemporaries Henry Hillingford Parker (1858-1930) and Walter Wallor Caffyn (1845-1898). Indeed, the latter produced a similar view titled 'On the River Rother, Fittleworth, Sussex'. Benjamin Williams Leader RA (1831-1923) was potentially also an inspiration.
When into his later years, Jay removed to Littlehampton, where he died in 1933. An obituary refers to him as one of “Littlehampton's oldest and best known residents” who was “well known as a landscape artist, particularly through his interpretations of Sussex scenery.”
He’s represented in numerous public collections including at Nottingham City Museum and Southampton City Art Gallery.
Signed in the lower right and held within a later frame.
Learn more about William Samuel Jay in our directory.
Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 21½” x 15½” / 55cm x 40cm
Year of creation: c. 1890
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Frame in excellent condition.
Artist’s auction maximum: £2,600 for ‘Amongst the Beeches’, Oil on canvas, Sotheby’s, Victorian Pictures, London, 1995 (lot 157).
Our reference: BRV2025
