Landscape of a Castle on a Hill

Copy of a painting by French Impressionist showing two fauns on a lush green hill side overlooking a house and garden

Copy of Hudson River School landscape painting titled "Sailing on the Bay" of sail boats

A charming oil painting on canvas depicting a French village on a hill with a castle atop the hill. Framed in a good quality gilt and black lacquered wood frame.

Oil on artist panel, signed and dated lower left. It measures 19.75" x 22.75" including the frame, which is likely the original. Benjamin Williams Leader RA (12 March 1831 – 22 March 1923) was an English landscape painter. The inspiration for these early works was the countryside around Worcester itself, "the cottages, farmhouses, lanes, hedgerows and churches, so exceedingly picturesque and beautiful". However, Leader did not finish his course of studies at the R. A, nor did he need to – his paintings proved to be in great demand by wealthy buyers and he achieved an enviable degree of commercial success within only a few years of his first sale. In 1857 he changed his name to Benjamin Williams Leader to distinguish himself from the many other painters with the surname Williams. In autumn of that year he travelled to Scotland, and painted A Quiet pool in Glen Falloch...