By George Smith
Located in Shippensburg, PA
An exquisite landscape depicting a quaint rural farm with a young woman and her daughter playing with their dog before a calm pool of water where a figure rests on the bank; the thatched roof residence across the water shows two figures inside of the fenced porch looking over their grazing sheep. In the distance, the more substantial roof line of the city is visible peering through the dense coverage of the forest. All of this is situated around the focal point of the scene: ruins of a hilltop castle.
The earliest ownership of present work was by Robert Saltonstall, who lent it to William Woollett (English, 1735-1785) to be engraved for publication April 4th of 1774. This engraving is held in the permanent collection of the British Museum (acc. no. 1869,0410.1474) and offers valuable insight into the period the painting was produced as well as establishing the authorship beyond question. High quality images of the engraving executed by Woollett after this painting and further information are available on the British Museum's website. The present work is a rare find, one of Smith's few surviving paintings that were selected for publishing via engraving.
Born in Chichester in 1714, George Smith of Chichester...
Category
18th Century British Antique George Smith Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Giltwood, Paint