Description:

Benjamin Williams Leader
British, (1831-1923)
Hill, Vale, and Stream, 1900
oil on canvas
Benjamin Williams Leader initially became interested in sketching en plein air alongside his engineer father in beautiful Worcester (Worcestershire County, England--home of the popular Lee & Perrins tangy vinegar-based condiment invented by chemists in 1837). Leader became his father's draughtsman while studying art and then found his calling in the creation of large landscape paintings--and this piece is one of those very large-scale and prime examples of his work. His inspiration was the picturesque rolling countryside around Worcester, a dreamy green landscape filled with cottages, farmhouses, farmers, working animals, the River Severn, lanes, forests, fields, and churches--not to mention the extremely famous Worcester Cathedral (completed 1084).

In this summertime painting Leader focuses on a wide running stream set among hills and vales on one side and an inviting beach lined with willows on the other. Upon closer inspection we find many fascinating and poetic details of Worcester from the year of this work (1900): a large farmhouse and barn, a few black and white horses pulling a huge wooden wagon stacked tall with hay, several country workers leading their way, and a couple of country gentlefolk in hats sitting down to enjoy the stream next to their resting dog. Leader's realistic landscapes with these such poetic details were highly sought after in and around Worcester and across England; and he gained great commercial success during his lifetime with them. Today paintings like this one are held by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Tate Gallery in London (among many other prestigious institutions and private collections).

Signed and dated lower left, gilt-framed.

  • Dimensions: 46 x 73 inches
  • Medium: oil on canvas
  • Condition: This painting has been lined. It has been examined under u.v. light and there is no visible restoration. The painting appears to be in excellent condition.

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July 29, 2023 10:00 AM CDT
St. Louis, MO, US

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