Antique British Figurative Paintings

William Henry Williamson (British, fl. mid to late 19th Century) Fishing Boats off the English Coast Oil on canvas, signed lower left Circa 1870–80 Presented in a period gilt frame ...

This early 20th-century oil painting by British artist David Bates (1840-1921) depicts a rural view in Capel Curig, North Wales. Bates was an accomplished landscape painter who often...

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...

J. Heal The Thames Estuary, London, oil on canvas, circa 1890 This evocative maritime scene by J. Heal, painted circa 1890, captures the Thames Estuary at the close of the Victorian...

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...

Fine 19th century oil painting of a bustling Austrian/Germanic village with horse, rider and various figures outside an Inn, attributed to Arthur Georg Ramberg (1819-1879), well known for figurative genre paintings. The rider is carrying a bugle, apparently announcing news to the people; men are sitting by the table drinking, one with a raised stein. Women walking by stop to listen, a man carrying a sack has stopped to watch the rider, people are in the Inn doorway, and one is looking out the window. Children pause their playing. The scene is under a large tree beside the Inn; a whole community waiting for news. There is a great deal of detail in the scene, tree and Inn house...

Edward Henry Holder British, (1847-1922) The Port of Cannes Oil on canvas, signed & dated (18)95 Image size: 14 inches x 39.75 inches Size including frame: 21.5 inches x 47.25 inche...

Walter Williams British, (1834-1906) Harvest Field at Sunset, Clayton near Brighton Sussex Oil on canvas, signed Image size: 15.5 inches x 23.5 inches Size including frame: 21.5 inc...

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 ...

This late 19th-century maritime painting by George Stainton captures the dramatic return of a fishing boat to harbor, skillfully portraying the power of the sea and the resilience of...

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 ...

**PLEASE NOTE: EACH PAINTING INCLUDING THE FRAME MEASURES 26.25 INCHES X 37.25 INCHES** Frederick Henry Howard Harris British, (1829-1901) Volunteer Rifl...