William Thornley

19th century English marine seascape, with fishing boats in the North Sea

circa 1870

19th century French scene of Lovers walking in a Garden, in 17th century costume original frame Wonderful 19th century classical Genre scene, painted with great skill and delicasicy . The artist has captured the meetiung of the two lovers...

David Bates 19th century English River landscape, with fisherman by the river side. David Bates was born in Cambridgeshire. He spent most of his early life in Worcestershire, where he became apprenticed at the Royal Worcester Porcelain Works. A painter in both oils and watercolours, Bates visited North Africa, before returning to paint landscapes mostly of Wales and Scotland. He shows the influence of Benjamin Williams Leader (1831-1923), Joseph Thors and S.H. Baker. David Bates also made small oil sketches of hedges and plants, which were usually inscribed on the reverse. The artist’s works display considerable technical virtuosity, ranging from the serene landscape, to the uneven swagger of his later works, which were noticeably less colourful. Although Bates was more than capable of producing refined landscapes, he was equably as capable of painting detailed...

LESLIE E.B. SMYTHE 19th-century English rural landscapes, with goats by a river and people. Smythe was an English painter who was active in paintings in both Scotland and England. ...

Wonderful Autumn/Fall landscape by one of Englands finest landscape painters. Born as Benjamin Williams, the artist added the surname Leader (his Father’s middle name) to distingui...

Jane Maria Bowkett British, (1837-1891) Gathering Blackberries Oil on canvas, signed with monogram Image size: 22.75 inches x 34.75 inches Size including frame: 28.75 inches x 40.75...

This idyllic late 19th-century oil painting by English artist Edward William Cooke RA (1811-1880) depicts a west-country cove with two cottages, donkeys, figures, and fishing boats. Cooke was a highly renowned painter of marine scenes and landscapes who exhibited extensively at London’s Royal Academy. From our elevated vantage point, the view extends between two quaint cottages and across the beach before sweeping around the sandy coastline. Crystalline waters lap the shore, where moored craft rest. It’s an accomplished rendering of a challenging composition. It’s enhanced by trees, which essentially ‘frame’ the right side, while a wooded track provides interest on the left. Cooke was a keen admirer of the Dutch old masters, and the spirit of the Golden Age underpins this splendid work. In diaries, he recorded how he travelled by donkey to access elevated spots in the southwest, so it’s conceivable that he did so here. In his catalogue raisonné, it lists a work from the same year titled ‘Bay with Donkeys’. Born in Pentonville, London, Cooke was raised in the company of accomplished artists as both his father, George Cooke (1781-1834), and his uncle, William Bernard Cooke (1778-1855), were engravers. As such, they were associated with a circle of Victorian painters who aided Cooke’s early development. These included the highly regarded marine painter Clarkson Frederick Stanfield RA RBA (1793-1867), who provided frequent advice and inspiration. Indeed, as a teenager, Cooke produced numerous drawings after Stanfield’s works. A precocious talent, by the age of nine, he was already displaying an advanced understanding of engraving, particularly for ships, coupled with a natural, seemingly in-built skill as a draughtsman. Many of his early drawings depict pastoral landscapes after the masters, such as Nicolaes Berchem (1620-1683), Paulus Potter (1625-1654), and Karel Dujardin (1626-1678). In an extraordinary turn of events, in 1820, his advanced abilities led to his first commission when he provided botanical illustrations for John Loudon's 'Encyclopaedia of Plants’. These were followed by drawings published in the 'Botanical Cabinet...

This late 19th-century oil painting by British painter George William Mote (1832-1909) depicts a shepherd and his flock before an extensive view across the Surrey countryside near Gu...

This mid-19th-century oil painting attributed to British artist William Adolphus Knell (1805-1875) depicts a sailing yacht before a Mediterranean coastline. Knell was one of the lead...