Circle of John Glover OWS Church by Bridge in a Mountainous Landscape

John Glover OWS (1767–1849)

John Glover RBA (1767–1849) was an English-born landscape painter who became one of the most significant artists of early colonial Australia. Born in Houghton-on-the-Hill, Leicestershire, Glover trained largely through observation and study rather than formal academic schooling, developing a style influenced by the classical landscape tradition of Claude Lorrain. He achieved success in Britain as a painter of 'Italianate' romantic landscapes and became known in both England and France as the English Claude. He exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy and in 1807 was elected president of the Old Water Colour Society.

In 1831, Glover emigrated with his family to Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania), where he produced an extensive body of work depicting the Australian landscape. His Tasmanian paintings are notable for their detailed observation of native vegetation, distinctive light, and expansive views, and for their early attempts to represent the land as it appeared rather than adapting it to European conventions. Glover died in Tasmania in 1849 and is widely regarded as a foundational figure in Australian landscape painting.