Oil Painting, 'A Shady Country Road', attributed to George Vincent, early 19th century

An oil painting of a shaded country road. A stray cow grazes at the edge of the road in the shade of some trees.

Purchased as English School about 1820-30 in 1888.

Historical significance: When the painting was bought in 1888 it was acquired as English school, circa 1820-30. By the early twentieth century it was attributed to the Norwich School artist George Vincent (1796-1832). He studied with John Crome one of the founder members of the Norwich Society of Artists. Vincent began exhibiting works at the Norwich Society of Artists in 1811 and became one of Crome’s most original pupils, going on to exhibit at the Royal Academy in London. A note on the object file from 1915 states that Mr. P.M. Turner thought that the attribution to Vincent was worth leaving although he was not certain as to whether the painting was the work of the artist or not. M. H. Grant suggested that this painting was not by Vincent (see Old English Landscape Painters, vol. II, p.339).

In 2010 Peter Kennedy Scott has attributed the painting to the Norwich School artist John Joseph Cotman (1814-1878) (see note on object file). John Joseph Cotman was the third of five children of the Norwich School artist John Sell Cotman (1782-1842) and his wife Ann (1783-1854). John Joseph Cotman attended his father's drawing school in St. Martin-at-Palace Plain. He moved with his father to assist in teaching at King's College School, London where in1834 John Sell Cotman had been appointed drawing-master. By the end of the year he had returned to Norwich, where he remained for the rest of his life, to take over the family teaching practice from his brother Miles Edmund Cotman. J.J Cotman suffered from depression and drinking. He became increasingly eccentric and was forced to pawn his possessions and sell drawings from members of his family in order to pay his debts. He died destitute following an operation for cancer of the tongue in 1878. John Joseph Cotman worked predominantly in watercolours although he also painted in oil. He painted mainly landscapes local to Norwich or imaginary scenes inspired by his surrounds. His works reflect the artist's love of colour which he inherited from his father.

On looking at 20-1888 alongside works by John Joseph Cotman there are a number of similarities. Lane scenes like that in 20-1888 were frequently depicted by J.J. Cotman and there are a number of paintings of this subject matter in the Norwich Castle Museum (for example see Lane near Carrow, museum number NWHCM 1951. 235.38.F, and Whitlingham Lane, Norwich, museum number NWHCM 1951.235.37.F). A comparison between these works in the Norwich Castle Museum and 20-1888 shows not only a similar interest in subject matter but also in palette and tone, something which John Jospeh Cotman was particularly interested in. Looking at the foliage of the trees in these paintings shows that the artist has represented them in the same way, by painting a dark tone first before applying lighter shades to distinguish the outer leaves. The interest in representing the strong contrast between patches of light and shade on the lane that are caused by the trees occurs both in 20-188 and Lane near Carrow, Norwich. The closeness of subject, palette and representation of 20-188 with works by John Joseph Cotman support the recent attribution to this artist.

References: M. H. Grant. Old English Landscape Painters, vol. II, London, 1925, p. 339).

The Norwich School is a name applied to a group of Landscape painters working in the early nineteenth century who were associated with the Norwich Society of Fine Arts, established by John Crome (1768-1821) in 1803. The society was founded with the intention of "an Enquiry into the Rise, Progress and present state of Painting, Architecture and Sculpture, with a view to point out the Best Methods of Study to attain the Greater Perfection in these Arts." The society included both professional and amateur artists. It held exhibitions annually in Norwich from 1805-1825 and then from 1828-1833. The Norwich School was the first self-sustaining provincial artistic community. Its evolution can be explained by the relative insularity of the Norfolk merchants and gentry who provided patronage both through purchasing works and employing many of the artists associated with the Norwich School as drawing masters for their wives and daughters. The artistic style of each artist within the Norwich School is often very different. This can be seen by comparing the work of the two leading members of the Norwich School, John Crome and John Sell Cotman (1782-1842). Crome's paintings, mainly produced in oil, reflect the influence of the Dutch School whilst the other leading figure of the Norwich School, Cotman, employs a more elegant topographical approach, often through the medium of watercolour. The Norwich School artists were united through their depiction of local landscape rather than the employment of a particular style. Crome was perhaps one of the most influential members of the school, particularly on the work of his pupils George Vincent (1796-1832) and James Stark (1794-1859).

According to M. Grant (1925), this painting is a copy, but the whereabouts of the original by Vincent are unknown. More recently the painting has been convincingly attributed to John Joseph Cotman.

20-1888