Richard Ansdell, RA (British, 1815-1885)


Gathering the herd signed and dated 'R. Ansdell/1873.' (lower right); inscribed with title, artist's name and address (on a label attached to the stretcher)oil on canvas91 x 192cm (35 13/16 x 75 9/16in).
|We are grateful to Sarah Kellam (née Ansdell) for confirming the attribution to Richard Ansdell on the basis of photographs, and for her assistance in cataloguing this lot - www.richardansdell.co.uk. ProvenancePrivate collection, UK.Exhibited London, Royal Academy, 1873, no. 201.After the private view at the Royal Academy, London 2 May 1873, The Birmingham Daily Post reviewed the present lot, noting '..Here we are in a wild Highland glen, far off amid the silence of solitary hills, with purple heather under the feet, and shrew northern breezes tumbling the clouds overhead. "The Herd" is a herd of stout West Highland cattle, shaggy of coat, frowsy of flank, with great rough heads, lighted up by mute flashing eyes, and towering horns, which are their distinctive characteristic. Night is coming on, and the evening air is pouring the white mists down the hills. In the distance the shepherd picks his way among the boulders, and gathers the cattle together by the aid of his dog..'.Ansdell was living at Lytham House in Kensington in 1873. While it is rumoured that some of his animal subjects were brought down by train from Scotland and kept in Ansdell's garden in Kensington to study, the present lot was most likely painted in Scotland, as he was still visiting Moy Lodge every year during this time. The London Evening Standard and The Nottingham Evening Post both reported that on Saturday 22nd February 1902, Gathering the Herd was sold at Christie's for 145 gns – it was previously the property of either Wm. Waring of Prince's Gardens, London or the Marchioness of Anglesey – this was a joint sale of their assets.