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Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape with Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting
Sold by Brave Fine Art
sold SA1075518
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Brave Fine Art

Brave Fine Art

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    Exquisite antique paintings that capture the imagination.
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Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape with Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting

19th century
Sold 22 November 2024 · Brave Fine Art
This “Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape with Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting” found a buyer.

It was listed by Brave Fine Art. Sold pieces stay on Sellingantiques as a record of what has passed through, and the next one is rarely far away.

Description

This mid-19th-century oil painting by British artist Alfred Walter Williams (1824-1905) depicts a figure dragging bracken within rugged Welsh upland scenery.

Nestled between formidable north-Walian peaks, a dilapidated cottage is near-buried under foliage. Its thatch, an amalgam of homespun repairs, its doorway bereft of adequate timber. Two sunlit trees stand alongside, akin to saintly old friends providing shade for the fallen.

It’s a tale of woe for this young desperate family, yet equally one of perseverance amid impossible circumstances. He’s gathering bracken while his wife tends to the animals. Ever-creative with the resources on their doorstep.

Alfred Walter Williams studied under his father, Edward Williams, and maintained a close relationship with his brother, the artist Sidney Richard Percy. Stylistically, the two brothers are similar, although perhaps Alfred’s works generally carry less grandiosity. Five of his brothers were painters, with some altering their surnames to avoid confusion.

Over the span of his extensive and fruitful career, Williams exhibited 76 works at the Royal Academy and 79 at the Royal Society of British Artists. He’s represented in various public collections including the V&A Museum and the Walker Art Gallery.

Signed/dated lower left and held within a later frame. The painting was previously sold at auction for £4,000 in 2001 and also through Christie’s for £3,000 in 1987.

Learn more about Alfred Walter Williams in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas

Overall size: 36½” x 28½” / 103cm x 73cm

Year of creation: 1849

Labels & Inscriptions: Christie’s stencil on reverse.

Provenance: Christie’s, London, 15 May 1987, lot 37 (Landscape with figures drawing bracken), £3,000 / Auction, Godalming, 26 September 2001, lot 484 (Bracken gatherers with their animals on a hillside), £4,000 / Private collection, UK.

Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Canvas relined. Fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame with light marks.

Artist’s auction maximum: £23,763 for ‘Playing Football Outside the Gun Inn (1844)’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, Fine Victorian Paintings, London, 1989 (lot 38).

Our reference: BRV1868

Date of Manufacture

Brave Fine Art has dated this Welsh Landscape Oil Painting to the 19th Century.

Physical Dimensions
Height
73cm (28.74")
Width
103cm (40.55")
Depth
6cm (2.36")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1075518
Description
This mid-19th-century oil painting by British artist Alfred Walter Williams (1824-1905) depicts a figure dragging bracken within rugged Welsh upland scenery.

Nestled between formidable north-Walian peaks, a dilapidated cottage is near-buried under foliage. Its thatch, an amalgam of homespun repairs, its doorway bereft of adequate timber. Two sunlit trees stand alongside, akin to saintly old friends providing shade for the fallen.

“
It’s a tale of woe for this young desperate family, yet equally one of perseverance amid impossible circumstances.
Brave Fine Art

He’s gathering bracken while his wife tends to the animals. Ever-creative with the resources on their doorstep.

fig 1. An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame.
fig 1. Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape with Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting

Alfred Walter Williams studied under his father, Edward Williams, and maintained a close relationship with his brother, the artist Sidney Richard Percy. Stylistically, the two brothers are similar, although perhaps Alfred’s works generally carry less grandiosity. Five of his brothers were painters, with some altering their surnames to avoid confusion.

fig 2. An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame.
fig 2. Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape with Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting

Over the span of his extensive and fruitful career, Williams exhibited 76 works at the Royal Academy and 79 at the Royal Society of British Artists. He’s represented in various public collections including the V&A Museum and the Walker Art Gallery.

fig 3. An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame.
fig 3. Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape with Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting

Signed/dated lower left and held within a later frame. The painting was previously sold at auction for £4,000 in 2001 and also through Christie’s for £3,000 in 1987.

Learn more about Alfred Walter Williams in our directory.

fig 4. An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame.
fig 4. Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape with Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting

Medium: Oil on canvas

Overall size: 36½” x 28½” / 103cm x 73cm

Year of creation: 1849

Labels & Inscriptions: Christie’s stencil on reverse.

Provenance: Christie’s, London, 15 May 1987, lot 37 (Landscape with figures drawing bracken), £3,000 / Auction, Godalming, 26 September 2001, lot 484 (Bracken gatherers with their animals on a hillside), £4,000 / Private collection, UK.

fig 5. An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame.
fig 5. Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape with Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting

Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Canvas relined. Fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame with light marks.

Artist’s auction maximum: £23,763 for ‘Playing Football Outside the Gun Inn (1844)’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, Fine Victorian Paintings, London, 1989 (lot 38).

Our reference: BRV1868

Date of Manufacture

Brave Fine Art has dated this Welsh Landscape Oil Painting to the 19th Century.

Height
73cm (28.74")
Width
103cm (40.55")
Depth
6cm (2.36")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1075518
Brave Fine Art
Brave Fine Art
Sellingantiques verified Since Nov 2018

Exquisite antique paintings that capture the imagination.

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Brave Fine Art Profile Page

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An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. SOLD6+ MONTHS AGO
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Archive I An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. SOLD6+ MONTHS AGO

Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape with Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting

Archive II An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. View II
Archive III An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. View III
Archive IV An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. View IV
Archive V An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. View V
Archive VI An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. View VI
Archive VII An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. View VII
Archive VIII An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. View VIII
Archive IX An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame. View IX
Enlarged Archival View
Telephone 01684 215986
Location
21 Enterprise Way
Arle Road
Cheltenham
Cotswolds
GL51 8LZ
United Kingdom

Under appointment only.
Verified Since Nov 2018
Items For Sale 76
Items Sold 1,853
Brave Fine Art
Brave Fine Art
Verified Since Nov 2018
View Dealer Info
Location: 21 Enterprise Way, Arle Road, Cheltenham, Cotswolds, GL51 8LZ, United Kingdom, , Under appointment only.
Verified
Nov 2018
For Sale
76
Sold
1,853
An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame.
Alfred Walter Williams, Welsh Landscape With Figures Dragging Bracken - Antique Oil Painting
Ref: SA1075518
An antique oil painting depicting a Welsh mountain landscape with figures and animals, enclosed in an ornate gilded wooden frame.
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Archival Detail
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Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectPaintings
  • Period19th century
  • StyleVictorian & Gothic
  • MaterialOil on canvas, Wood, Gesso, Gold leaf
  • ColourGilded Gold
  • MotifsMountain landscape, Rural figures, Ornate gilded frame
  • SizeH 73 cm (29 in) x W 103 cm (41 in) x D 6 cm (2 in)

Nineteenth-century British landscape painting reflects a growing romantic fascination with the natural world, heavily influenced by the picturesque movement and the Hudson River School aesthetics, often depicting rural life, dramatic topography, and pastoral harmony.

These artworks were typically executed in oil paint applied to stretched woven linen canvases, utilizing layered glazing techniques to build depth, and housed in heavily ornamented, gessoed wooden frames finished in genuine gold leaf.

Authentication involves examining the canvas weave, inspecting the stretcher bars for age-appropriate oxidation and hand-cut nails, verifying the medium under ultraviolet light, and researching artist signatures, exhibition labels, or provenance records.

An antique landscape painting introduces historical depth and organic warmth to contemporary spaces, serving as a sophisticated focal point when paired with minimalist furnishings, neutral wall colours, and subtle directional picture lighting.

Preservation requires hanging paintings away from direct sunlight and heat sources, maintaining stable indoor humidity and temperature levels, and dusting the canvas and gilded frame gently with a soft, dry natural bristle brush.
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