Benton Fine Art has dated this Victorian Landscape Oil Painting to the 1870s.
British, (1840-1906)
Hay Making
Oil on canvas, signed & indistinctly dated 187(5)?
Image size: 19.5 inches x 31.5 inches
Size including frame: 28.5 inches x 40.5 inches
Provenance: SA Spenser, 16b Grafton Street, Old Bond Street, London
A lovely landscape painting of hay making by John Clayton Adams; a subject he often returned to.
Whilst the adults work to get the hay cut and gathered, two children play with a toy boat at the pond.
John Clayton Adams was born in Edmonton, London on 26 January, 1840 to Charles Henry and Jane Adams. His father was a school master at Latymer’s School and also an astronomy lecturer and his mother was a teacher. The family lived in Church Street, Edmonton near where the school was originally located. Adams enrolled at the Bloomsbury School to study art and was later taught by William Wilthieu Fenn. He made his debut at the Royal Academy in 1863 and was a prolific exhibitor there until 1893. He also exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists, Royal Institute of Oil Painters, Walker Art Gallery, Arthur Tooth & Son, New Gallery, Dowdeswell Galleries, the Grosvenor Gallery and the Royal Society of Artists, Birmingham.
By the age of 21, he was earning a living as an artist, whilst continuing to live with his family in Edmonton. He became known for paintings of landscapes using rich colours and a broad technique, with a clear and undisturbed vision. Adams married Mary Frances Tupper at Christ Church in Worthing, Sussex on 30 September 1871 and by 1873 had moved to Ewhurst Hill near Cranleigh in Surrey where his two children were born. His son Harry Clayton Adams (1876-1956) also became an artist.
Adams was captivated by Surrey and painted many picturesque views of the county, however he also visited other areas such as Hampshire, North Wales and the Trent Valley. His success allowed him to build a house named Brackenhurst in Ewhurst Hill. It was located on a cornfield and was the site of a painting by George Vicat Cole. He remained at Brackenhurst until his death on 20 January, 1906.
A retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Art Union of London at 112, The Strand on 4 June, 1907. Examples of his paintings can be found in many public collections including the Beverley Art Gallery, Brighton & Hove Museum, Harris Museum, Laing Art Gallery, Museum of Croydon, Reading Museum, Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Russell-Cotes Museum, Sheffield Museum, Torre Abbey Museum and the V&A.
Presentation: The painting is housed in a new, English made gilt frame which is in excellent condition. The stretcher bears an old exhibition label with his address Ewhurst Hill, Nr Guildford, Surrey which means the work would have been painted after he moved there in 1873. There is also a label for the dealers S.A. Spenser of 16b Grafton Street, Old Bond Street, London who were operating in the 1970’s.
Condition: As with all of our original antique oil paintings, this work is offered in ready to hang gallery condition, having just been professionally cleaned, restored and revarnished.
© Benton Fine Art
Benton Fine Art has dated this Victorian Landscape Oil Painting to the 1870s.
Specialists in 19th & early 20th century original oil paintings by listed artists
You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Benton Fine Art Profile Page
Benton Fine Art is a registered member of LAPADA BADA CINOA
Landscape Oil Painting of Hay Making by John Clayton Adams
