Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd has dated this Victorian Oil Landscape Painting to the 19th Century.
Subject & Medium
Medium: Oil on canvas (relined – see condition report).
Composition & Technique
This is a classic Victorian “sublime” landscape on an impressive scale, with expansive sky, distant mountains, and calm foreground water that draws the viewer into the scene. The composition is built with strong recession: the eye moves from the lake and shoreline in the foreground into the valley and then to the misted Snowdon range, where forms soften into cloud and haze.
The focal point is the weathered sky. A naturalistic rainbow arcs across layered storm clouds, with breaks of light suggesting the shower passing. The atmosphere is achieved through controlled tonal transitions: distant peaks in cool silvery greys and slate tones, softened with blue-green notes and pale highlights that read as sunlight catching damp rock. The sky shifts between pearl whites, smoke greys, and misted blues, creating a convincing sense of depth and weather.
In contrast, the right-hand foreground provides warmth and structure with golden ochres, russets, deep browns, and mossy greens in the land and trees. The water is rendered in muted blue-grey with subtle tonal variation and soft reflections. Birds in flight and two figures fishing at the shoreline add scale and narrative, reinforcing the grandeur of the landscape without distracting from the overall serenity.
About the Artist
Charles Leslie (British, 19th century), often identified as Charles Edward John Leslie (1839–1886), was a Victorian landscape painter associated with the Williams family of painters, a renowned dynasty known for British landscape art. Leslie developed a distinctive approach to mountainous scenery, expansive skies, and reflective waters, and he is recorded as exhibiting at leading London venues including the Royal Academy of Arts, the British Institution, and the Suffolk Street Gallery (Society of British Artists). His Welsh and Scottish landscapes remain sought after for their sense of atmosphere, scale, and romantic naturalism.
Historical Significance
Snowdon subjects were highly desirable during the Victorian period, reflecting the era’s fascination with Romantic scenery and the sublime power of nature. Painted in 1878, this work sits within the mature Victorian landscape tradition, combining decorative presence with serious atmospheric painting and a strong sense of place.
Signed
Signed and dated in red to the lower left: “Charles Leslie 1878”.
Also fitted with a brass title plaque reading: “A Summer Shower Passing Over The Snowdon Range – Charles Leslie – 1878.”
Framed
Presented in an impressive, richly ornamented gilt frame, substantial and appropriate for the painting’s scale and Victorian character.
Size
Dimensions including frame: 89.5 cm high x 140 cm wide x 6 cm deep
(35.2 in high x 55.1 in wide x 2.4 in deep)
Provenance
Private collection. Documented UK auction provenance: sold by Bigwood Auctioneers & Valuers Ltd, Stratford-upon-Avon, in the Select Interiors & Antiques auction on 29 July 2022, Lot 168. Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD.
Why You’ll Love It
A large, statement Victorian oil painting with a highly collectible Welsh Snowdon subject. The rainbow and storm-clearing sky create strong visual impact, while the refined colour harmony and deep perspective deliver the atmospheric quality serious collectors look for. Signed and dated 1878, with title plaque and documented auction provenance, this is a standout period landscape suitable for a library, office, hall, or main reception room.
Condition Report
Offered in good antique condition overall. The painted su
Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd has dated this Victorian Oil Landscape Painting to the 19th Century.
Source the historic in 17th, 18th, 19th & 20th century fine arts, painting, sculptures & collectibles
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd Profile Page
Victorian Oil Landscape a Summer Shower Passing Over the Snowdon Range C1878 by Charles Leslie
