Gordon Allen

Tranquil English River Landscape with old Stone Bridge, signed original oil

‘The Arrest of Father Curtis’ by Robert Alexander Hillingford (1825-1904). The painting – which depicts occupying French soldiers serving the hero of the Catalan resistance Don Pat...

This interesting British 19th century coastal landscape oil painting is by noted Suffolk School artist Edward Robert Smythe. Painted circa 1850 it is a busy coastal landscape with fi...

This superb Victorian Scottish landscape oil painting is by noted landscape artist John MacWhirter. Painted circa 1880 the location is Glen Cloy, Arran, a very popular walking and holidaying destination along with the Fairy Glen. The composition is a stream in the foreground with a man and his dog approaching. Either side of them are rolling hills giving way to cloud enveloped mountains in the background. The palette of greens and brown of the flora and fauna is so rich and varied. An excellent example of Scottish Victorian art and of MacWhirter's work. Signed lower right. Provenance. Sotheby's 26.8.86 lot 694. Condition. Oil on canvas, 38 inches by 24 inches unframed, in good condition. Frame. Housed in a gilt swept frame, 50 inches by 37 inches in good condition. John MacWhirter RA (27 March 1839 in Slateford, Edinburgh - 28 January 1911 in London) was a Scottish landscape painter. John was the third of four children. One of his elder sisters, Agnes MacWhirter was also a noted artist of still lifes. He attended a school in Colinton, and after his father's death was apprenticed to Oliver & Boyd, booksellers in Edinburgh. He stayed there for only a few months and then in 1851 enrolled at the Trustees Academy under Robert Scott Lauder and John Ballantyne (1815–97). He spent long periods sketching and studying nature outdoors. His first painting to be exhibited at the Royal Scottish Academy at age 14, was 'Old Cottage at Braid'. In 1880, he was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Scottish Academy. Exploring and painting abroad he visited Italy, Sicily, Switzerland, Austria, Turkey, Norway and the U.S.A. - the Alps being a great inspiration. Of a drawing of wildflowers, Ruskin wrote i have never seen anything like it. Some of these sketches were later purchased by Ruskin and bequeathed to the Ashmolean, Oxford. He moved to London in 1867 and on 4 May 1893 was elected a Royal Academician. MacWhirter specialised in romantic landscapes with a great fondness for trees, spending much time in the hilly countryside of Perthshire. Initially, under the influence of John Everett Millais, he experimented with the detailed images of the Pre-Raphaelites, but later adopted a more sweeping style. His friendship with William McTaggart shows in his freedom of brush. With John Pettie...

This lovely British Victorian oil painting is by Edward Charles Williams of the Williams Family of artists and related to George Morland. The painting is a figurative landscape entitled the Woodman's family and entails five figures and a dog gathered around a tree that the Woodman is tackling with his axe. The painting is signed and indistinctly dated (only visible with ultra violent light) lower left, the date being 1869. For me, the highlight of the painting is the artistry and attention to detail with which Williams has portrayed the light on the trees above and the exquisite colouring of the leaves. There are even two birds finely depicted in the tree foliage. Signed and indistinctly dated 1869 lower left (only visible under ultraviolet light). Provenance. Berkshire estate. Condition. Oil on canvas, image size is 40 inches by 36 inches and in good condition. Housed in a complementary frame. Framed size is 48 inches by 44 inches and in good condition. Edward Charles Williams (London 10 July 1807 – 25 July 1881) was an English landscape painter during the Victorian Era, and a member of the Williams family of painters. He was the eldest son of the painter Edward Williams (1781–1855) and Ann Hildebrandt (c.1780–1851), and a member of the Williams family of painters, who were related to such famous artists as James Ward RA and George Morland. His father was a well-known landscape artist, who taught him how to paint; otherwise he received no formal instruction. He adopted much of his father's style and technique, and like the other painters of his family, he devoted himself to landscapes, producing rich and tranquil views of Barnes, Cumberland, Kent, Surrey and the Thames. His paintings are now highly sought after. Williams married his first wife Mary Ann Challenger on 11 December 1839 in Westminster. Mary Ann died in 1857 in London, and his only child Alice Williams was born shortly afterwards to Sarah Susannah Horley, who had been Mary Ann's nurse – Edward and Sarah did not marry for another 10 years until 3 October 3, 1868, when they wed at the St. Pancras Old Church in Camden, London. He largely stopped painting after the 1859 death of his second wife, adding value to the small number of paintings that he did produce from 1859 on − Springer in the Bracken, The Lap Dog, The Ploughman's walk home, The Ducks at Tilbury and Primrose at St Mary's (Primrose was the Verger's Cat). Some suggest that he suffered a breakdown after his wife's death, given his choice of subjects in these later years. The location of three of these post-1859 works are unknown, and they are assumed lost during two world wars. He signed some of his work as E Williams, which leads to confusion with his father, who painted in a similar style, and at times he signed as C Williams to purposely avoid such confusion. Because many of the paintings of both father and son are unsigned, it can be difficult to correctly attribute their work. Edward Charles also collaborated on several paintings with William Shayer, where Williams would paint the landscape, and Shayer would add in figures and animals; his Near Wantage, Berkshire is a good example. He died 25 July 1881 at Shepherds Bush in London and is buried with Sarah Horley and their daughter Alice in Hammersmith Old Cemetery, close to other family graves. Edward Charles Williams was born into an artist family that is sometimes referred to as the Barnes School. His father and five surviving brothers were all noted landscape painters during the Victorian era. Three of the sons of Edward Williams changed their last names to protect the identity of their art. Edward Williams (father) Henry John Boddington, George Augustus Williams, Arthur Gilbert, Sidney Richard Percy, Alfred Walter Williams.

A very pretty late 19th-century English marine scene of fishing boats beached after being out to sea and bringing in their catch for the day. This was a subject that was very popul...

Adolf Schreyer's "Arabian Rider at Dusk" is a stunning oil painting on canvas that depicts an Arabian rider in a golden sunset. By Adolf Schreyer 8.5" x 15.5" Oil on Canvas Framed...

A very tranquil scene of fishing boats moored in harbour with a sunlit sea beyond. Painted with a most attractive palette of blues and greens and with a pleasing composition that le...

Nineteenth Century Victorian Marine Oil Painting on Canvas of Boats and Fisherfolk off the Coast at Rotterdam. "Fishing Boats, Rotterdam" 14 by 20 inches, Oil on Panel, Signed and Framed. JAMES WEBB...

Frank Moss Bennett British, (1874-1952) In the Garden Oil on panel, signed & dated 1917 Image size: 11 inches x 13.5 inches Size including frame: 20 inches x 22.5 inches A charming genre scene of two gentlemen in 18th century costume in a garden by Frank Moss Bennett. The men drink wine and eat fruit at a linen covered table...

Reuben Hunt British, (1857-1938) Taking Aim Oil on canvas, signed & dated (18)84 Image size: 19.5 inches x 29.5 inches Size including frame: 25.25 inches ...