Pupil of Richard Westall RA A Girl Gathering Mushrooms

An original early 19th-century watercolour painting, Pupil of Richard Westall RA, A Girl Gathering Mushrooms.

This extraordinarily appealing watercolour, showing a girl gathering mushrooms after a painting by Richard Westall RA (1765–1836), is attributed to 'one of Westall's pupils'. The brilliant colouring, rich composition and highly finished nature of this painting reflect Westall's achievement and innovation in the watercolour medium: the first artist to treat small-scale watercolour paintings in the grand manner of oil, he is credited with bringing this peculiarly British medium to prominence and popularity.

In 1795 Westall was pronounced 'the Founder of a particular School of Drawing in Water-Colours' by the St James’s Chronicle, and junior artists such as Turner and Girtin studied his innovative techniques. In 1814 the critic in the Repository of Arts commented: 'That honour which Great Britain has derived from the discovery of the art of painting in transparent water colours, and which most enlightened foreigners have so willingly accorded to us, is in great degree to be ascribed to Mr Westall. His drawings for many years formed the principal feature of attraction at the exhibitions of the Royal Academy.'

Westall is now perhaps best known for being drawing master to Princess Victoria, later Queen Victoria. He came to the role late in life, in 1827, when his commercial popularity was in decline. He taught the princess twice weekly until his death in 1836, and she recalled Westall as 'a very indulgent, patient agreeable master, and a very worthy man'. Intriguingly, the present painting is inscribed on the verso in a 19th-century hand: 'One of Westall's Pupils'. A known pupil of Westall is William James Bennett (1787−1844), but there is little record of Westall teaching more widely. The detail to the figure, and the face and hair in particular, is especially finely painted.

Westall's works were in high demand and were widely reproduced in print form. The present subject, A Girl Gathering Mushrooms, was published in 1800 by John Boydell (see British Museum 1889,0821.5). The captivating scene presents an idealised vision of pastoral life at a time when contact with the natural world was in decline.

In watercolour on thin artist's board.