Thomas Sidney Cooper Ra, Livestock in a Landscape with River Beyond, Antique Oil Painting

This fine mid-19th-century oil painting by British artist Thomas Sidney Cooper RA (1803-1902) depicts two cows and a sheep in a landscape. Cooper was a distinguished painter of the natural world who became one of the foremost masters of his genre despite facing extraordinary circumstances. He was affectionately known as “Cow Cooper”.

Illuminated by a gradually setting sun, three familiar old friends rest wearily. In the foreground, a pocket of foliage emerges from a pond, while in the distance, a sailboat navigates a tinted waterway. It’s classic Cooper, a small gathering of quietly anthropomorphic livestock, imbued with unique characteristics and rendered exquisitely.

Born in Canterbury, Kent, Cooper’s early years were marked by abject poverty as his father, William Cooper, deserted the family, leaving his mother to raise five children alone. Food prices were high due to the effects of the Napoleonic War and he was encouraged to learn a gainful trade to generate much-needed income.

At 12 years old, he began an apprenticeship as a coach builder, during which he was taught the basics of mixing colours. He did so while continuing to sketch from nature - escaping into the surrounding countryside at every opportunity. He also undertook numerous drawings of Canterbury Cathedral with many of these sold to the clergy and occasional passing aristocrats. In his 1890 autobiography, he recalls being provided with pencils and paper by the illustrator, George Cattermole RWS (1800-1868), who took pity on the state of his materials.

Cooper was determined to persevere with his artistic pursuits, despite the wishes of his mother, and, by chance, happened to impress a local painter of theatrical scenery. Despite being gravely ill, ‘Mr Doyle’ taught the aspiring lad, who subsequently gained work at a travelling theatre company.

Following his time with the theatre, his uncle took him to London, where he first studied the sculptures at the British Museum before enrolling as a ‘probationer’ at Royal Academy schools. Henry Fuseli RA (1741-1825) was his teacher during this period whereby his primary task was to study the works of antiquity. Possessing a ‘good eye’, his drawings were met with much approval and he was admitted as a full student.

However, around 1825, while on the cusp of achieving his dream, he was sent back to Canterbury to live with his mother - his Academy hopes now in tatters. He described this period as a particularly difficult one during which he considered switching careers.

In 1827, together with a good friend, Cooper visited the continent where he travelled with no particular plan - preferring to live, once again, on his wits. For a while, he worked as a signwriter and a drawing master, while also producing numerous portraits for village locals. During a three-year stay in Belgium, he met, by chance, the great Eugène Joseph Verboeckhoven (1798-1881) - a celebrated painter of animals. Verboeckhoven was generous, offering his time for free and encouraging the young Englishman to take up oil painting. Both were keen admirers of the Dutch and Flemish masters, such as Paulus Potter and Albert Cuyp. Cooper was deeply inspired.

From this point on, having overcome a series of trials and tribulations, his career gathered momentum - soon exhibiting at both the Royal Society of British Artists and Royal Academy. In 1842, with his popularity ever-increasing, his 'Intercepted Raid, Ettrick Shepherd' was sold at Sotheby’s for a record-breaking sum of £37,500, which established him firmly in the minds of collectors and dealers alike. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy a few years later and a full member in 1867.

With his career firmly established, Cooper returned to Kent and lived in the picturesque rural village of Harbledown near Canterbury. He acquired numerous animals, allowing him to paint from l