Robert Walker Macbeth RA ROI RWS, Far From The Madding Crowd

View Similar Items

Mark William Langlois - Victorian Oil Painting Young Family Roasting Chestnuts by Fireside Cottage

19th Century English School - Portrait of a Young Gentleman English circa 1860's Period Framed Oil Painting

19th Century Newlyn School - Cornish Fisherman Standing Smoking Clay Pipe Antique Newlyn School Oil Portrait

English early 19th - Antique English Portrait of Georgian Lady circa 1820/30 period Large Oil Canvas

French School - 1890's French Portrait of Character Man Signed & Dated 1896 titled oil painting

Victorian English - Very Large Mid 19th Century Victorian Portrait English Gentleman Seated Leather

Charles Sillem Lidderdale - Huge Victorian Oil Painting by Famous Artist Portrait Country Girl in Harvest

English 1820's - Very Large 1820's English Portrait Dapper Young Gentleman Period Drama Oil

French School - Large 19th Century French Portrait of Lady with Roses & Smart Dress oil painting

English Victorian Oil - Mid Victorian Portrait of a Lady Seated in a Chair Original 19th Century Oil

John Talbot Adams - Huge Victorian Original Oil Painting Portrait of Little Red Riding Hood

European Antique - Portrait of Young Child Antique European Oil Painting Fine Gilt Frame

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 13

Robert Walker Macbeth RA
Robert Walker Macbeth RA ROI RWS, Far From The Madding Crowd
1883

$9,483.34List Price

About the Item

This spellbinding late 19th-century oil painting by Scottish artist Robert Walker Macbeth RA ROI RWS (1848-1910) depicts a young woman wearing a white pelerine and a jacket trimmed with fur while leaning against a tree by the entrance to a wood. It was shown at the Grosvenor Gallery, London, and the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. In a photograph from 1884, it’s positioned on an easel by the artist. As a child, young Macbeth was surrounded by artistic endeavour and the associated bustle of the industry. His father, Norman Macbeth RSA (1821-1888), was an eminent portrait painter and undertook numerous commissions for dignitaries. These early experiences - the lengthy sittings, the academic community, the banter between peers, instilled in him a fascination for mankind. And more specifically, how an artist can work as a descriptive conduit between an individual’s spirit and the world at large. His father provided initial tuition before he sought formal training in Germany and then via the Royal Scottish Academy. Emphasis was placed upon honing one’s drawing ability - a talent which served him well. Unlike his father, he opted to avoid portraiture in favour of landscapes and figure painting, debuting at the Dudley Gallery at the age of 21. He subsequently moved to London and joined the rising stars at The Graphic magazine as an illustrator. His formative works can be described broadly as social realism, with Frederick Walker (1840-1875) a particular inspiration. Sir John Everett Millais described Walker as "the greatest artist of the century" - his gritty portrayals of rural workers were acutely honest. We see this in Macbeth’s ‘The Lincolnshire Gang’ and ‘The Potato Harvest’, which are back-breakingly rigorous. Each figure buckled with the weight of labour - carrying creaking baskets and tools, arching and tugging. He’d decided upon these subjects following an article in The Times regarding the field labourers of Lincolnshire. On a whim, travelling to understand their struggles and capture their toil first-hand. He did so for interest, not for patrons - rarely did he conform to the requests of art connoisseurs. Both of these works are respectful, visceral, real - and importantly, lacking condescension. He quickly achieved various accolades, ultimately earning membership to several institutions including the Royal Academy, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and the Royal Watercolour Society. Also recognised for his work as an etcher. A restless artist, Macbeth continually sought new environments in which to garner ideas and observe the human condition. In 1880, it was Brittany, France, that encouraged him to produce several maritime paintings. And in 1884, Somerset imbued his brush with a hazy, cider-enriched, charm. It’s fair to say that, later in life, his subjects were viewed through the rose-tinted spectacles of comfortable middle age, perhaps after encountering the relaxed South-West. Here, in this piece from 1883, he’s at his peak, working with maximum resolve yet still invigorated by every subject. Titled ‘Far From The Madding Crowd’, it could be a reference to Thomas Hardy’s book of the same name and it’s been suggested that it depicts Fanny Robin, Bathsheba Everdene’s servant. However, Victorian critics felt this unlikely due to her highly fashionable attire so it’s probably simply an enticing clue designed to stir the imagination. She’s pregnant, contemplative, lost in a ponderous gaze, a bouquet rests alongside, somewhat forlornly. A wooded track winds upwards - into the unknown yonder. Where’s the father? Does he know? A critic remarked that it possessed ‘pure and powerful colour’ and was ‘brilliant work’. Robert Walker Macbeth is represented at Tate Britain, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Getty Museum, V&A, Guildhall Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, Merton College at the University of Oxford, the Royal Academy, the Royal Scottish Academy, Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, Princeton University Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums. Signed/dated in the lower right and held within a later frame. Labels & Inscriptions: Copy of a drawing of the piece attached to the reverse along with a framer’s label. Provenance: Sotheby's, London, 29 March 1983, lot 127 / Private collection, UK. Exhibited: London, Grosvenor Gallery, 1884, no. 214 / Liverpool, Walker Gallery, 1884. Artist’s auction maximum: £55,000 for ‘Sedge Cutting in Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, Early Morning’, Oil on canvas, Christie's, The Forbes Collection, London, 2003.

Creator:
Robert Walker Macbeth RA
Creation Year:
1883
Dimensions:
Height: 45 in (114.3 cm)Width: 28 in (71.12 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
Victorian
Period:
1880-1889
Condition:
Assessed and approved by our conservator. Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable.
Gallery Location:
Cheltenham, GB
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2328214340102

Joszef Schmidt
Joszef Schmidt, After Guido Reni Mater Dolorosa, Antique Oil Painting, 1829

$2,533

Free Shipping

19th-Century English School, Portrait Of A Bay Horse, Antique Oil Painting

Located in Cheltenham, GB

This charming mid-19th-century English school oil painting depicts a bay horse in a stable. The British aristocracy has always had a passion for equestrian activities, and during th...

Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

19th-Century English School, Portrait Of A Bay Horse, Antique Oil Painting, c. 1865

$2,682

W.S. Cooper, A Bay Hunter & Groom In A Landscape

Located in Cheltenham, GB

This early 19th-century oil painting by English artist W.S. Cooper (act. 1832-1834) depicts a bay hunter and groom in a landscape with a hunt beyond. Once hanging in a proud English...

Category

1830s Victorian Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

W.S. Cooper
W.S. Cooper, A Bay Hunter & Groom In A Landscape, 1832

$4,470

George Clarkson Stanfield (Attributed), Shipwreck

By George Clarkson Stanfield

Located in Cheltenham, GB

This mid-19th-century oil painting, attributed to English artist George Clarkson Stanfield (1826-1878), depicts a small vessel approaching a shipwreck, close to the coast. Stanfield ...

Category

1860s Victorian Landscape Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

The Victorian English Gentleman Portrait of a Man seated in a leather chair, holding a letter in his hand. oil on canvas , framed framed: 41 x 33 inches canvas: 36 x 28 inches prove...

Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Victorian English
Very Large Mid 19th Century Victorian Portrait English Gentleman Seated Leather

$2,980

More Ways To Browse

Antique Hand Tinted Photographs

Antique Victorian Bustle

Thomas Merton

John Riley

Antique Black Velvet Paintings

George Bishop

Gordon King

James Reynolds

King Louis Xiv Portrait

Shannon Wood Paintings

Bourlet Frame

19th Century American Portrait Of A Lady

Antique Lace Bonnet

Robert Walker Macbeth RA ROI RWS, Far From The Madding Crowd

View Similar Items

Robert Walker Macbeth RA
Robert Walker Macbeth RA ROI RWS, Far From The Madding Crowd
1883

About the Item

More From This Seller

1710s French School Portrait Paintings

Early-18th Century French School, Ex-Voto Portrait With Emilian Jacobin, 1712

1830s Portrait Paintings

Early 19th-Century Central European School, Christ The Saviour, c. 1830

Early 19th Century Italian School Figurative Paintings

Joszef Schmidt
Joszef Schmidt, After Guido Reni Mater Dolorosa, Antique Oil Painting, 1829

Mid-19th Century Victorian Animal Paintings

19th-Century English School, Portrait Of A Bay Horse, Antique Oil Painting, c. 1865

1830s Victorian Animal Paintings

W.S. Cooper
W.S. Cooper, A Bay Hunter & Groom In A Landscape, 1832

1860s Victorian Landscape Paintings

George Clarkson Stanfield (Attributed), Shipwreck, c. 1860

You May Also Like

Late 19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Mark William Langlois
Victorian Oil Painting Young Family Roasting Chestnuts by Fireside Cottage, 19th century

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

19th Century English School
Portrait of a Young Gentleman English circa 1860's Period Framed Oil Painting, 1860's

19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

19th Century Newlyn School
Cornish Fisherman Standing Smoking Clay Pipe Antique Newlyn School Oil Portrait

Early 19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

English early 19th
Antique English Portrait of Georgian Lady circa 1820/30 period Large Oil Canvas

Late 19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

French School
1890's French Portrait of Character Man Signed & Dated 1896 titled oil painting, 1896

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Victorian English
Very Large Mid 19th Century Victorian Portrait English Gentleman Seated Leather

Recently Viewed

More Ways To Browse

Robert Walker Macbeth RA ROI RWS, Far From The Madding Crowd

View Similar Items

Robert Walker Macbeth RARobert Walker Macbeth RA ROI RWS, Far From The Madding Crowd1883

About the Item

More From This Seller

1710s French School Portrait Paintings

Early-18th Century French School, Ex-Voto Portrait With Emilian Jacobin, 1712

1830s Portrait Paintings

Early 19th-Century Central European School, Christ The Saviour, c. 1830

Early 19th Century Italian School Figurative Paintings

Joszef SchmidtJoszef Schmidt, After Guido Reni Mater Dolorosa, Antique Oil Painting, 1829

Mid-19th Century Victorian Animal Paintings

19th-Century English School, Portrait Of A Bay Horse, Antique Oil Painting, c. 1865

1830s Victorian Animal Paintings

W.S. CooperW.S. Cooper, A Bay Hunter & Groom In A Landscape, 1832

1860s Victorian Landscape Paintings

George Clarkson Stanfield (Attributed), Shipwreck, c. 1860

You May Also Like

Late 19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Mark William LangloisVictorian Oil Painting Young Family Roasting Chestnuts by Fireside Cottage, 19th century

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

19th Century English SchoolPortrait of a Young Gentleman English circa 1860's Period Framed Oil Painting, 1860's

19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

19th Century Newlyn SchoolCornish Fisherman Standing Smoking Clay Pipe Antique Newlyn School Oil Portrait

Early 19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

English early 19thAntique English Portrait of Georgian Lady circa 1820/30 period Large Oil Canvas

Late 19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

French School 1890's French Portrait of Character Man Signed & Dated 1896 titled oil painting, 1896

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Victorian EnglishVery Large Mid 19th Century Victorian Portrait English Gentleman Seated Leather

Recently Viewed

More Ways To Browse

Robert Walker Macbeth RA
Robert Walker Macbeth RA ROI RWS, Far From The Madding Crowd
1883

Joszef Schmidt
Joszef Schmidt, After Guido Reni Mater Dolorosa, Antique Oil Painting, 1829

W.S. Cooper
W.S. Cooper, A Bay Hunter & Groom In A Landscape, 1832

Mark William Langlois
Victorian Oil Painting Young Family Roasting Chestnuts by Fireside Cottage, 19th century

19th Century English School
Portrait of a Young Gentleman English circa 1860's Period Framed Oil Painting, 1860's

19th Century Newlyn School
Cornish Fisherman Standing Smoking Clay Pipe Antique Newlyn School Oil Portrait

English early 19th
Antique English Portrait of Georgian Lady circa 1820/30 period Large Oil Canvas

French School
1890's French Portrait of Character Man Signed & Dated 1896 titled oil painting, 1896

Victorian English
Very Large Mid 19th Century Victorian Portrait English Gentleman Seated Leather