Lot 834
William Frederick Witherington (1785-1865), Landscape with Distant Mountains and Figures on a Road, early 19th century oil on canvas, signed, 75cm x 109cm, within a gilt composition frame. Exhibited: Royal Academy 1851, cat no. 456. Note: When the present work was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1851, Witherington appended the quotation, 'How oft...our pace / Has slacken'd to a pause...', taken from William Cowper's poem The Task (1785). The passage celebrates the quiet pleasures of rural life, describing a leisurely walk through the countryside and expressing the poet's deep appreciation of the tranquillity and restorative beauty of the natural landscape. The quotation aptly reflects the serene atmosphere of the present view of Windermere, where the still waters and distant fells evoke the contemplative spirit of Cowper's verse. The painting received a favourable notice in The Athenaeum, where its careful handling and attention to detail were commended. Although Witherington established his reputation painting the landscapes of southern England, from the late 1840s he increasingly turned his attention to the scenery of the Lake District, producing a distinguished series of paintings of the region between 1849 and 1863. The present work belongs to this important phase of his career, when the grandeur of the Cumbrian landscape inspired some of his most accomplished and poetic compositions.  £1200-1500