Edward Arthur Walton, R.S.A., P.R.S.W.

W. G. Gardiner esq.;
Thence by descent to the present owner

STRUCTURE Original canvas. PAINT SURFACE There is a small pinhole to each corner with minor associated paint loss. Light surface dirty but this is otherwise in good original condition. ULTRAVIOLET UV light reveals no visible retouching. FRAME Held in a lightly decorated gilded composite frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Walton was born in Renfrewshire in 1860 and received his early training at the Kunstacademie in Dusseldorf and the Glasgow School of Art. Early in his career he met James Guthrie and Joseph Crawhall and like them, he was profoundly affected by the work of Jules Bastien-Lapage as is evidenced in his early paintings of land workers and country children such as Alice (Lot 79). Although he excelled as a portrait painter, James Caw noted that "it is, however, as a painter of landscape, or of figure associated with landscape, that Walton has won his most distinctive success." (J. L. Caw, Scottish Painting, 1975, pp. 371-2)

It is likely that the present work was painted during one of Walton's many visits to James Guthrie's family home at Annandale Farmhouse were they painted together for many years. The current landscape contains all the elements of liberal brushwork and truth to nature that is so commonly observed is Walton's finest paintings. When discussing Walton's landscape paintings, Caw further highlights that "there is more than the visible beauty of the world in such pictures. They are imbued with that informing spirit which makes Nature more to us than mere inert matter. The sap and substance of growth and life seem to run through them, the imagination which animates them is deep-rooted in the earth, and beside them most contemporary landscape-painting looks poor and lifeless" (ibid, Caw, pp. 371-2)