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Lot Essay
The 'No. 5' which is inscribed, with the title, on the reverse of the present picture identifies it as the fifth of five paintings Leader exhibited at the National Institution in 1860. All five were sold. The artist received £12 for Stream from the Hills, £2 less than the asking price.
The address 'Diglis House, Worcester' - also written on the label - refers to the artist's family home, situated by the River Severn in the city of Worcester.
Stream from the Hills was selected by an Art Union prize winner, who subsequently lent it to the first 'Art Union of England' exhibition. Art Union societies had sprung up in different parts of the country since the 1830s; their remit was to distribute funds for the purchase of modern British art, to support new talent and educate the public. Annual lotteries were set up to support these objectives. Membership, in the case of the London Art Union, was one guinea per year; the subscriber was automatically issued a lottery ticket. The lottery winners could chose a work of art (of a given value) from an approved exhibition or receive one selected by the Society itself. In 1855 a painting by Leader was purchased by the Glasgow Art Union.
A Stream from the Hills dates from Leader's first trip to North Wales in 1859. The location depicted is on the River Llugwy between Bettws-y-Coed and Capel Curig. Both the composition and the careful brushwork are representative of the artist's early style. One can already detect evidence of his ability to imbue a scene with natural light: a facility that was to become Leader's trademark.
We are grateful to Ruth Wood for her help in preparing this catalogue entry.
The address 'Diglis House, Worcester' - also written on the label - refers to the artist's family home, situated by the River Severn in the city of Worcester.
Stream from the Hills was selected by an Art Union prize winner, who subsequently lent it to the first 'Art Union of England' exhibition. Art Union societies had sprung up in different parts of the country since the 1830s; their remit was to distribute funds for the purchase of modern British art, to support new talent and educate the public. Annual lotteries were set up to support these objectives. Membership, in the case of the London Art Union, was one guinea per year; the subscriber was automatically issued a lottery ticket. The lottery winners could chose a work of art (of a given value) from an approved exhibition or receive one selected by the Society itself. In 1855 a painting by Leader was purchased by the Glasgow Art Union.
A Stream from the Hills dates from Leader's first trip to North Wales in 1859. The location depicted is on the River Llugwy between Bettws-y-Coed and Capel Curig. Both the composition and the careful brushwork are representative of the artist's early style. One can already detect evidence of his ability to imbue a scene with natural light: a facility that was to become Leader's trademark.
We are grateful to Ruth Wood for her help in preparing this catalogue entry.