Thomas Danby R.H.A., R.W.S. c.1821-1886
How Shepherds Lose Their Sheep
Oil on canvas, 91.3 x 152.7 cm.
Signed; signed again and inscribed with the artist’s address (‘43. Camden Rd Villas’) on stretcher rail, verso
Exhibited: Royal Academy, London, 1853, no. 1228
Although widely regarded as a prolific watercolourist, Francis Danby’s fourth and youngest son, Thomas Danby, devoted much of his early career to the painting of topographical views in oil, primarily of mountain and lake scenery in Wales. Unlike James Francis, Thomas diverged from his father’s Romantic landscapes to those more rooted in reality. His obituary read that he was ‘always trying to render his inner heart’s feeling of a beautiful view’ (The Times). Echoing this sentiment, Strickland described Thomas as being ‘an accomplished painter, harmonious in his colouring, and full of feeling’.
A preparatory oil for How Shepherds Lose Their Sheep forms part of the collection of the National Trust, and is on view at Cragside, a Victorian county house near the town of Rothbury. In addition to being dated 1853, a label on the back identifies the landscape as being Llyn Cynwch, Dolgellau, in Wales.