George Cole (1810-1883).

The painting - which depicts a vast landscape with waterfall in the Lake District of England - is signed and dated by the artist and was exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists in 1879.

As with all the paintings we sell it is offered in the finest condition it can be for its age having just been professionally cleaned, conserved and re-varnished. Clients should also note that tracked and signed for international shipping is complimentary.

George Cole was one of Victorian Britain’s most successful landscape painters, although most of his early work comprised animal portraits. Cole’s first important patron was the British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel who commissioned the young artist to paint his dog, Cato. He first exhibited in London in 1838, at the Suffolk Street Gallery of the Society of British Artists, and shortly afterwards began studying with the eminent Scottish landscape painter, John Wilson (1774-1855).

This association culminated in Cole making his debut at the Royal Academy in 1849 with a landscape entitled ‘The Gravel Pit’. The following year he was be elected a member of the Society of British Artists in 1850, and later its Vice-President in 1867. Between 1838 and 1883 Cole exhibited 19 paintings at the Royal Academy, 35 at the British Institution, and 223 at the Royal Society of British Artists.

Following his death in September 1883, George Cole’s obituary in The Times remembered him as “a notable example of one who, though commencing life in a dull provincial town, unassisted by a master or any regular art education yet by perseverance and hard work, fought his way to, and won, eminence.” Today, paintings by George Cole can be found in the collections of Manchester City Galleries, Museums Sheffield, and the Royal Academy in London.

Dimensions: (framed) 108cm x 141cm (42½” x 55½”)

Dimensions: (canvas only) 86½cm x 122¾cm (34” x 48¼”)

Medium: Oil on canvas.

Provenance: Exhibited at the Royal Society of British Artists in 1879. Private UK collection.

Presentation: Newly commissioned bespoke gold metal leaf frame. All of the new frames we commission are especially made for us to order by one of the UK’s top period frame makers.

Condition: Very good. Newly professionally cleaned, restored, and re-varnished. Ready to hang.