Shepherd Boys and Dog Sheltering from a Storm

c. 1789/1790

Thomas Barker

Associated Names
Thomas Barker

Painter, British, 1769 - 1847

The artwork shows two shepherd boys and a dog under a large, sturdy tree. One boy is standing, holding a staff, and looking upward; he is dressed in simple clothing with bare feet. The other boy is sitting or crouching on the ground, leaning against the tree, and gazing outward. The dog sits beside them. The scene is in a forested area with dense foliage overhead, and the colors are dark and muted. Light filters through the trees, casting a dim glow on the figures and the ground.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on paper on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Howard Sturges

  • Dimensions

    overall: 28.5 x 22.8 cm (11 1/4 x 9 in.)
    framed: 43.5 x 38.4 x 5.1 cm (17 1/8 x 15 1/8 x 2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1956.9.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Perhaps Philip Vandyck Browne [1801-1868], Shrewsbury. Philip Browne, Shrewsbury, as by Gainsborough.[1] (Bellas), France.[2] Howard Sturges [d. 1955], Providence, Rhode Island, as by Gainsborough; bequest 1956 to NGA.

[1] An ink label on the back of the stretcher is inscribed: "No 53 [3' altered from 2'] by Gainsborough/on paper laid down/on canvas/Lent by/Philip Browne/Shrewsbury." The exhibition cannot be identified, but must have been subsequent to 1898, when the picture was adhered to canvas. Philip Browne may have been a descendant of the artist Philip Vandyck Browne, a prominent citizen of Shrewsbury (information about whom was kindly supplied by Mr. Nigel Gaspas, Keeper, Shrewsbury Museums).

[2] A label from the French shipping company Chenue on the back of the stretcher is inscribed in ink: "Monsieur Bellas/pour Londres." Bellas was presumably a dealer, since the picture was exported as part of a consignment consisting of at least two cases.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 36, repro.

1986

  • Bishop, Philippa. The Bakers of Bath. Exh. cat. Victoria Art Gallery. Bath, 1986: 13-14, nos. 9, 10, repros.

1992

  • Hayes, John. British Paintings of the Sixteenth through Nineteenth Centuries. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1992: 7-9, repro. 7.

Wikidata ID

Q20179661

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