Lot 91: ROWLAND WHEELWRIGHT, R.B.A. 1870-1955 ON THE TOWING PATH

signed l.l.: R WHEELWRIGHT.; inscribed on the reverse with the artist's name and address and further inscribed and signed and titled on an old label pasted to the reverse

oil on canvas

EXHIBITED

Royal Academy, 1900, no. 683
LITERATURE AND REFERENCES

Christopher Wood, Paradise Lost, Paintings of English Country Life and Landscape 1850-1914, 1988, p. 71, repr. p. 69, pl. 59
CATALOGUE NOTE

Rowland Wheelwright was born in Queensland, Australia and moved to Britain in his youth. He enrolled at Hubert Von Herkomer's school at Bushey and like his fellow pupil Lucy Kemp-Welch he particularly excelled at painting equine subjects. Wheelwright often chose to combine his depiction of strenuous work horses with subjects from literature or mythology and the subjects of his dramatic Royal Academy exhibits include the medieval Enid Driving the Robber's Horses on Before, Don Quixote Charging the Flock of Sheep and a mounted knight beset by mermaids on The Enchanted Shore. However, his best paintings depicted scenes from contemporary rural life, On the Towing Path being an impressive example which demonstrates the continuing fascination with scenes of traditional country life.

102 by 128 cm., 40 by 50 1/2 in.