William Shayer Snr, British 1787-1879- A wooded landscape with a gypsy encampment; oil on canvas, signed ‘Wm Shayer’ (lower centre), 49 x 60 cm. Note: The present work typifies the approach which defined Shayer’s output. He was...

William Shayer Snr, British 1787-1879- A wooded landscape with a gypsy encampment; oil on canvas, signed ‘Wm Shayer’ (lower centre), 49 x 60 cm. Note: The present work typifies the approach which defined Shayer’s output. He was celebrated as a painter of rural scenes, combining both landscape and figure studies in a manner which recalls the works of George Morland (1763-1804). His scenes often depict modest subjects set within a landscape, with the small scale of the figures emphasising the countryside around them. Shayer can be seen to be idealising this rural existence, setting this peace and tranquillity against the threat of rapid urbanisation in Victorian England. For a work of similar subject and dimensions, see Anon. sale, Dreweatts, Berkshire, 26 October 2021, lot 283.
Please refer to department for condition report