James Stark (Circle), Wooded Landscape with Country Track, Shepherd & Sheep - Antique Oil Painting

This charming mid-19th-century English oil painting depicts a rutted country track passing through a wood with a shepherd, several sheep and resting figures.

Under a cloudy sky, amid the mild heat of early evening, a family rests by a gnarled oak. A shepherd stands alongside - his modest flock deterred by an alert border collie. In the distance, a conspicuous spire suggests a village.

Both the style and composition are inspired by the great landscape painters of the Dutch Golden Age, such as Jacob van Ruisdael, whose ‘Entrance to a Forest’ (c.1660-1665) is particularly similar. The Dutch masters, with their rugged sense of imagined naturalism, provided the model for hordes of European artists over the following centuries. And in Britain, this was particularly the case for the ‘Norwich School’.

During the early 19th century, a number of pioneering, Norfolk-based, self-taught, artists came together to share ideas and enhance their knowledge. Dubbed the Norwich School of Painters, this predominantly working class collective created the first provincial art association in Britain. Its aims were to enquire “into the rise, progress and present state of painting, architecture, and sculpture” with a view to developing better study methods. In essence, it was a discussion group in lieu of a formal Academy.

Its founders, ‘Old’ John Crome and Robert Ladbrooke, were keen admirers of the 17th-century Dutch landscape painters, and like John Constable before them, sought to convey a view naturally without artificial embellishments. The Dutch have a long-standing connection with Norfolk, having arrived en masse during the 16th century following Queen Elizabeth’s decision to reignite the wool trade by inviting Dutch weavers to settle. Over 4,000 immigrants were integrated into the local population, bringing with them various skills and cultural nuances.

James Stark (1794-1859) was a prominent contributor to the Norwich School and was apprenticed to John Crome. Our piece bears some of his stylistic nuances, including the distant view of a plain with architecture, rendering of the foliage, and foreground peppered with livestock. He trained several younger artists including Henry Jutsum (1816-1869).

Held in a later frame.

Medium: Oil on canvas

Overall size: 27” x 21” / 68cm x 53cm

Year of creation: c. 1850

Labels & Inscriptions: Gallery label on reverse.

Provenance: Private collection, UK.

Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. Later stretcher. The paint layer is stable. Frame in excellent condition.

Our reference: BRV2087