This charming mid-19th-century oil painting by British artist Edward Charles Williams (1807-1881) depicts a rugged view with figures, inn and church beyond. Williams was an accomplished landscape painter and member of the ‘Barnes School’.Under the bough of a gnarled oak and leaning from atop a weary white horse, a rider halts to speak with two local villagers. Perhaps they’re discussing the standard of the local inn before deciding whether to spend the night. After all, this was 150 years before Tripadvisor and who knows what company they keep. Alongside them, two ducks navigate a flooded pond while a small dog waits patiently for the conversation to conclude.Born in London, Edward Charles Williams was the son of ‘Old’ Williams, a landscape painter of repute. Trained by his father, his style during the early part of his career was remarkably similar. As a boy, he would’ve been taught the masterly ways of the esteemed Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century, such as Meinder...