Arthur Batt (1846-1911)
| Artist Name | Arthur Batt (1846-1911) |
|---|---|
| Title | Portrait of Three Donkeys in a Landscape |
| Description | This charming British Victorian donkey oil painting is by noted New Forest animal artist Arthur Batt. It was painted in 1894 and the setting will be around Lyndhurst in the New Forest where Batt lived and worked. The composition is of the heads of three donkeys as they feed on a gorse bush. It is entitled Old Friends and they do indeed look very relaxed with each other. There is a typical New Forest landscape beyond - a stretch of flat scrubland with more gorse and heather and white cattle grazing in the distance with the hazy New Forest trees beyond, all beneath a blue summers sky. The Donkeys, two light with a darker one in the middle, are beautifully portrayed with great detail and superb brushwork perfectly capturing their features. The gorse bush is a vivid green in the foreground and just coming into bloom. Batt clearly loved animals and one can just imagine the pleasure he got in wandering around the New Forest and painting these beautiful creatures in their natural setting. This is a lovely British Victorian animal oil painting and a great example of Batt's work. Signed and dated (18) 94 lower right. |
| Provenance | Frost and Reed label verso with title: Old friends - Three Donkeys Feeding on Gorse bush. |
| Medium | Oil on Canvas |
| Size | 36 x 28 inches |
| Frame | Housed in an ornate gilt frame. Framed size is 43 inches by 35 inches and in good condition. |
| Condition | Good condition. |
| Biography | Arthur Batt (1846 – 1911) was a Victorian born animal painter who lived in Lyndhurst in the New Forest, Hampshire. Batt's main subjects include dogs and donkeys either portraits or in New Forest settings. He particularly captured naturalistic settings with great attention to detail. Arthur Batt’s paintings provide a charming record of New Forest animals whom freely graze all over the New Forest and rural life during the late 19th and early 20th centuries His paintings are valued for both their artistry and regional significance. He exhibited from 1880-1893: Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, Royal Academy London, Royal Society of British Artists, Royal Institute of Oil Painters and Royal Scottish Academy. |
| Price | £8500 |
