Old Masters & 19th Century European Art

We would like to thank Richard Ormond for his kind assistance in cataloguing this lot. Mr. Ormond reviewed the painting via high-resolution digital images and has confirmed its authenticity.

Provenance:

Collection of the Earl of Roseberry

Newman Galleries, Philadelphia

Alexander Benson (1873-1947), Philadelphia

Richard Benson, nephew of the above

Thence by descent, Private Collection, Mainline, Philadelphia

Lot note:

The present work is very close in style and spirit to the romantic landscapes Landseer painted in or around Glenfeshie in the Cairngorms in the early 1830s. During this period, he was spending time with the Duchess of Bedford, to whom he was devoted, and other friends. They were living the simple life in Highland cottages, shooting and fishing, and in Landseer's case, painting.

The scene may depict Loch Laggan in the Scottish Highlands. Later in his career, the artist accompanied a young Queen Victoria to the area on a hunting trip in 1847. The painting, now in the Royal Trust Collection, London, depicts the Queen as she stands at the shores of Loch Laggan with her children and a games keeper, with the group depicted a few feet to the right of where this scene was painted. 

It is of note that the verso of the panel is impressed with the marks “BROWN / HOLBORN, ” which refers to the art supply dealer Thomas Brown (1805-1854), whose canvases and panels were used by Landseer in other works. The black painted panel is typical of the small plein air paintings that Landseer executed. The artist painted these Highland landscapes purely for his own enjoyment. They were almost never exhibited and over 100 previously unknown oil sketches were sold at Landseer’s studio sale at the May 8, 1874 sale of his estate by Christie, Manson, & Wood in London, possibly including the present work.