Lot 333: Nathan Theodore Fielding (British, 1775-1819)

Nathan Theodore Fielding (British, 1775-1819)
An evening view of Field House and places adjacent from a southern emminence, Sowerby, near Halifax, Yorkshire
signed and dated 'N.T. Fielding del et pinxt/1781' (lower left)
oil on canvas
56½ x 68 5/8 in. (143.5 x 174.5 cm.)

By descent in the Stansfeld family; Sotheby's, London, 13 July 1988, lot 66, when acquired by the present owner.

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 15% on the buyer's premium
This painting celebrates the estate of George Stansfeld. In the centre stands Field House, which was built in 1749, abutting on the left the Old Hall, formerly the home of the Holroide family, and on the right a new stable block. Beyond which lies the town of Sowerby with the parish church of St. Peter's, which was built partly under the patronage of George Stansfeld and completed in 1763. In the left foreground are a number of substantial farms and buildings connected with the wool trade, including Stones, with Fieldend and Lodge House near Blackstonedge Turnpike, Hollins in the centre, and below to the right Stansfield Bridge by the River Ryburn. To the left of Field House and in the foreground are the drying fields.

George Stansfeld inherited Field Hall in 1743 from his grandfather James, who had purchased the estate in 1702. He prospered as a wool merchant and built up the estate. He was instrumental in the construction of Rochdale Canal, which ends at Sowerby and of turnpike roads.