Farmyard Scene

William Havell (1782-1857)
Farmyard Scene

Watercolour heightened with bodycolour and stopping out
24.5 by 34.4 cm., 9 ½ by 13 ½ in.

Provenance:
With Spink & Son, London, 1981

Literature:
Felicity Owen and Eric Stanford, William Havell 1782-1857, exhibition catalogue, p.35, no.103, ill.

Exhibited:
London Spink & Son, William Havell 1782-1857, 24th November to 18th December 1981, no.103;
Reading Museum and Art Gallery, William Havell 1782-1857, 9th January to 20th February 1982, no.103;
Kendal, Abbot Museum and Art Gallery, William Havell 1782-1857, 6th March to 10th April 1982, no.103

Havell came from an artistic family - his father, uncle and some of his siblings were all artists. In 1802 and 1803 he toured Wales, meeting up with Joshua Cristall, Thomas Webster and Cornelius Varley. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1804, and the same year was a founder member of the Old Watercolour Society. In 1816, Havell accepted the post of official artist to Lord Amherst's embassy to China, before settling for a time in India, only returning to Britain a decade later after a bout of ill health.

Felicity Owen and Eric Stanford dated the present watercolour to circa 1853/4.