Oil on canvas entitled 'A Welsh Waterfall' by John Syer. Great Britain, 1875.

Oil on canvas depicting a stream tumbling down amid rocks towards the spectator, and passing away to the left; to the left and right are trees with autumn tints. Near the centre in the middle distance, is a small bridge. In the background are wooded hills. The sky is cloudy.

Bequeathed by Henry Louis Florence

Bequeathed by Henry L. Florence, 1916

John Syer was a nineteenth century painter in oil and watercolour who was predominantly known for his landscapes of British subjects. Syer was born on 17th May 1815 at Atherstone, Warwickshire. Although he did not live in London until 1872 Syer exhibited there, in such institutions as the Royal Academy and the British Institution, from 1832. Prior to 1872 he lived in Bristol where he was a pupil of the miniature-painter John Fisher. During this period he worked predominantly in Bristol and Bath. His style was after the manner of David Cox and he was also influenced by the work of William Müller. Around 1850 Messrs. Rowney & Co published selections of sketches by Syer such as ‘Rustic Scenes,’ and ‘Marine and River Views.’1 Syer exhibited nineteen paintings at the Royal Academy between 1846 and 1875. He was a member of the Society of British Artists between 1856 and 1875 and was also a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours. He is known to have had at least two painter sons, John C. Syer and Percy Syer, who were pupils of their father and specialised in landscapes and marine subjects. John Syer was on a sketching tour when he died in July 1885 after an illness of a few days’ duration.

A Welsh Waterfall depicts a North Wales landscape. North Wales was a favoured subject for Syer due to the wildness of the scenery which offered the opportunity for broad handling and bold representation. He exhibited scenes from North Wales numerous times at the Royal Academy.

Citations
1. Michael Bryan, Bryan’s Dictionary of Painters and Engravers, Robert Edmund Graves and Sir Walter Armstrong (eds.), vol.V, (London: G. Bell & Sons, Ltd., 1921), p.148

P.74-1917