This charming mid-19th-century oil painting by British artist Alfred Vickers (1786-1868) depicts a drover with livestock navigating an upland country road.A young shepherd boy rests on a low stone wall, his back to the sun. While an older lady, perhaps his mother, guides the cattle onward. She appears to be wearing a red shawl and tall traditional Welsh hat. Over on the right, wisps of smoke rise from the chimney of a nestled cottage, as characteristically British clouds hover above.There’s an interesting pentimento on the right with an outline of a second cottage faintly visible.This idyllic vision of rural life was captured by an artist who adored the British countryside. Inspired by Constable, Vickers studied nature’s various moods with careful observation, often working outside. His short brushstrokes and deftness with colour are comparable to some of the French plein-air painters of the mid-19th century. A subject we’ve discussed in an essay.However, Vickers was ea...