catalog text
"SHEEP AT REST IN THE HIGHLANDS" BY ROBERT WILLIAM WATSON (BRITISH, 1855-1921)
In oil on canvas, signed "R. Watson" and dated 1914 lower right
Item # 911XPP16Q
A rich and moving scene that captures the richness of the Highlands at golden hour with the sun dimming over the horizon and casting a diffused palette of pastels through the wisps of clouds overhead, this gorgeous painting is an exceptional example of Robert Watson's work with an unusually romantic atmosphere. A flock of eleven sheep rest among the tall flowing grasses of the Scottish Highlands on a hill overlooking a distant body of water, the breeze gently ruffling the wool along their backs. Likely captured in fall, the hills are warm with browns, greens and yellows - subtle hints of flowers and stones, reeds and bushes in the impressionistic landscape. The work is executed in oil on canvas and is signed lower right "R. Watson" and dated 1914.
Born on March 9th of 1865 in Brighton, Sussex to animal painter William Watson (London, 1809-1871), Robert William Watson trained under his father along with his two older brothers, Charles (1837-1900) and William Junior (1847-1921) for what would become a family occupation. He and his brother William were the most successful of the family, all of whom focused primarily on Highland paintings of sheep. His work always characterized by atmospheric qualities that truly captured the romance of the Highland with its constantly changing elements of mist, wind, rain and overcast skies with complex light diffusing throughout the scene.
Robert married Alice Ashcroft and moved with her to Aughton in 1880, later moving together to the Isle of Mann. He exhibited numerous works in Liverpool and Glasgow. Examples of his work are held in Maidstone Museums in Kent, Towneley Hall Art Gallery, the Harris Museum in Preston, the Brighton & Hove Museum, Oldham Gallery and Williamson Art Gallery.
Literature & Further Reading:
- British and Irish Paintings in Public Collections, Wright, Gordon & Smith, 2006, p. 805 [noting various works by Watson in public collections and associated provenance]
Measurements: 20 1/8" H x 30 3/8" W [canvas]; 3 1/4" D x 30 5/8" H x 40 7/8" W [frame]
Condition Report:
Period giltwood frame with typical cracking, giltwood losses and wear, overall in good condition. Canvas professionally conserved with surface cleaned and varnished. Under UV examination: inpainting around edges where frame rubs canvas, scattered spot touch ups to sky, along the right side of fields and behind horns of largest ram.