Unknown

19th-Century English School, Portrait Of A Gentleman

c. 1840

This charming mid-19th-century oil painting attributed to English artist Edward John Cobbett (1815-1899) depicts a seated girl carrying a wicker basket within rolling scenery. Cobbett was a skilled English painter of landscapes and genre who exhibited regularly at London’s Royal Academy. This piece from around 1860 is emblematic of his rose-tinted escapism and celebrates the honest endeavours of rural life. The details are rendered skilfully, particularly the hands, skin tones and head. While the composition, with the horizon line crossing just beneath the shoulders, creates interest and permanence. He fathered twelve children, including eight daughters, so it’s plausible that some of them appeared in his portraits. The girl bears some resemblance to his depiction of ‘The Crofter's Daughter’. Born in Westminster, London, Cobbett was initially trained as a wood carver, probably by his father, who was a skilled ‘carver and gilder’. Evidently, the young man adopted the trade with considerable vigour, as some of his early carvings can be seen at York Minster. Around the age of 20, he began to pursue a career as an artist, and it's presumably at this point that he undertook formal tuition with the landscape painter Joseph William Allen (1803-1852). Allen was a founding member of the Society of British Artists, and his influence is evident. Following his 1833 debut at London’s Royal Academy, he matured into an artist of considerable merit, particularly popular among the rising middle classes. He was known by the Victorian press as one of the last great ‘bohemians’, thus associating him with a social and cultural milieu of freedom-loving, anti-establishment creatives. As a member of London’s Savage Club, his circle was a most intriguing one and included writers, artists, and musicians who sought to live on the fringes of society. This liberal sense of ‘joie de vivre’ translated through his work into depictions of ebullient country folk undertaking wholesome daily activities. Via his numerous rustic characters, he celebrated a simpler, albeit idealised, working-class utopia. The urban-dwelling bourgeois lapped it up, escaping into the abundance of an imagined moor, and vanishing into a community unplagued by formal rigour. Aside from the Royal Academy, his works were also shown at the British Institution, Liverpool Academy, and the Society of British Artists, where he was elected a member in 1856. He’s known to have collaborated with both William Shayer (1787-1879) and George Cole (1810-1883). He’s represented in numerous public collections, including at Glasgow Museum, the Walker Art Gallery, Worcester City Art Gallery, and York Art Gallery. Provenance: Private collection, UK. Artist’s auction maximum: £20,052 for ‘Rural Idyll (1859)’, Oil on canvas, De Veres...

This exceedingly charming mid-18th-century English oil painting depicts a girl wearing a red gown with a train over a white petticoat. She’s holding a posy or nosegay. Evidently once commissioned for an English country house, the identity of this young lady remains a mystery. Her gown appears to be inspired by the popular ‘robe à la française...

This fine late 19th-century oil painting by Italian artist Giovanni Rota (1832-1900) depicts a cheerful young lady looking back over her shoulder with a straw hat and lilac ribbon. ...

This charming late 19th-century oil painting by British artist Rowland Holyoake (1861-1928) depicts a girl carrying wildflowers while wearing a straw hat decorated with the same. It ...

Well painted 19th-century portrait of Sir Charles Dickens. The original painting is in the National Gallery in London and I'm sure this piece would have been painted by a fan of the author who was also a very good artist as this piece is a very good copy of the original painting. There was a great fashion to paint copies of famous paintings during the 19th century and most of the world's most famous paintings have been copied many times. Often the artist who does the copy is very talented but usually anonymous With this piece, it's the only way to own an antique copy...

Victorian 19th-century portrait of a seated English Flower Seller. This is a very pretty classic English Victorian Genre painting. The style ...

Pair of antique paintings, oil on canvas, portraits. Around 1850. Portrait of a well-known artist and his wife. Dimensions are per painting...

Painting, 19th century, women portrait, oil on canvas. Dimensions with frame 63cm x 77.5cm