Fine Eighteenth Century Oil Landscape by George Arnald

A fine oil on oak panel landscape scene by George Arnald (ARA 1763-1841). The painting shows a typically arcadian scene of workers in a wooded landscape with cottages in the distance. The piece is signed and dated to the lower centre of the work Arnald 1797. George Arnald 1763-1841 was a specialist landscape and historical scene painter. He is best known for his masterful 'The Destruction of L'Orient at the Battle of the Nile', now in the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. He was a student of the landscape painter and engraver William Pether, and latterly in his career he tutored the portrait painter Henry William Pickersgill. Little is known about Arnald's early life; accounts variously give his birth place in Northamptonshire or Berkshire and that he started life as a servant before turning to the study of art. He exhibited a staggering 176 works at the Royal Academy and was elected an associate member in 1810 though never invited to become a full member possibly because of his lowly origins. Arnald's works are held in a number of public collections, including the Yale Centre for British Art, Tate, Royal Academy of Art, National Portrait Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum. This work is from a relatively early point in his career and shows a beautiful observation of the landscape, use of colour and shade. The painting is in very good condition, there has been a very small piece of restoration in the sky, and the work has been cleaned. The panel retains on the reverse a label for the illustrious Leicester Galleries of London who I think must have purchased and retailed the painting in the early twentieth century. The gilt frame is relatively modern but of wonderful quality and in excellent condition. The whole is a great example of 18th Century landscape work by a highly regarded artist.