George Morland (1763–1804) – Pastoral Scene with Sheep, 1791

George Morland (1763–1804) – Pastoral Scene with Sheep, 1791 (attributed to) Oil on canvas Signed and dated “1791” in the lower right corner. Canvas mounted on an antique key-lock stretcher; the reverse shows a patina and historical repairs consistent with a work from the late 18th or early 19th century. Richly carved wooden frame with gilded stucco, in the Victorian or Neo-Baroque style, probably 19th century, made after the painting. George Morland (1763–1804) was one of the leading figures in late 18th-century English pastoral painting. He was renowned for his lively rural scenes (farms, inns, horses, and sheep), rendered with a supple brushstroke and a vivid sense of the countryside’s atmosphere. Despite a tumultuous personal life, his work enjoyed great success and was widely disseminated through engravings. In London, several major institutions house his works, notably the National Gallery, Tate Britain, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, which hold significant collections of his genre scenes and rural landscapes. In the United States, his works are also represented in major museums such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art. In continental Europe, some of his works are housed at the Louvre and the State Hermitage Museum.