Henry Brittan WillisBritish, (1810-1884)Midday RestOil on canvas, signed & dated (18)59Image size: 18.5 inches x 31 inches Size including frame: 26.25 inches x 38.75 inchesA beautifully painted landscape scene of cattle and figures near a Welsh mountain by Henry Brittan Willis. A herd of cows are shown resting on the side of a hill as a bull stands guard. To the right of the painting a herder and his wife, depicted in traditional Welsh dress, can also be seen taking their rest next to a white horse. In the background lies a mountainous landscape with the high peaks partially covered by clouds. In 1859, at the time of this painting, Willis was living at 7 Lidlington Place, St Pancras, London. He is known to have visited Dolgellau and Porthmadog in North Wales around this period and the location of the painting could well be that of the Snowdonia mountain range.Henry Brittan Willis was born in Westbury on Trym, Bristol on 7 August, 1810, the son of John Aylburton Willis an artist and drawing master and his wife Ann (n�e Brittan). His older brother Edmund Aylburton Willis (1808-1899) also became an artist. Both brothers were taught art by their father and Willis spent his youth sketching the surrounding landscapes of his home city. He later began exhibiting in Bristol, becoming a member of the Bristol Art Society.He married Elizabeth Broughton at Bristol on 31 august, 1837 and the couple initially lived with her father in Marlborough Hill, Bristol. After achieving limited success in Bristol, he decided to travel to America in 1842 where he spent time painting the scenery of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River. After a bout of ill health, he returned to England in 1843 and moved to London where he lived at Stanhope Street, Regent''s Park. He made his debut at the Royal Academy in 1844 and in the same year also began exhibiting at the Royal Society of British Artists. In 1847 began exhibiting at the British Institution and became a...