Landscape with Sheep

Birket Foster, originally an illustrator in black and white, turned to watercolour in the late 1850s. He became one of the most successful and prolific of Victorian watercolourists, painting in a delicate and graceful style. In his work, the countryside is charming and pretty, its wild and romantic side tamed to suit the Victorian taste for domesticised and soothing rustic scenes. A letter dated 28th March 1935 from Vicars Brothers reads: "This is a very early work painted during the period when the artist introduced a very high finish to his work, and a bluish colour."