The Garden of England

Mote began life as gardener to Sir Thomas Phillips of Middle Hill, near Broadway, Worcestershire. The landscape there, in the heart of the English countryside, must have inspired him to paint his surroundings. Although titled The Garden of England, there is nothing that strongly identifies the present scene as Kentish. The horizon suggests the area north of Sevenoaks, immortalised by Samuel Palmer, although the view also bears a strong likeness to Worcestershire or Sussex, both of which the artist painted frequently.