A Timber Wagon on a Country Lane

William George Meadows (circa 1825 circa 1901), British 19th Century

Oil on canvas
125 x 75 cm (49 ¼ x 29 ½ in), unframed
Signed 'W.G. Meadows' lower left

Presented in a later giltwood frame with an applied plaque inscribed 'W.G. Meadows, British 19th Century'

Description
A team of heavy draught horses hauls a laden timber wagon along a sandy country lane, led by a carter on foot while a second figure sits atop the stacked logs. A sheepdog runs alongside, and a weathered signpost marks the crossroads to the left, where ducks paddle in a roadside pool. Beyond, a windmill and a distant village church rise against a broad, cloud filled sky. The composition follows the low horizon and animated cloud formations that Meadows favoured throughout his career, populating an otherwise tranquil rural setting with genre incident, in the manner established by earlier English landscape painters such as Constable and the Norwich School.

The Artist
William George Meadows was born around 1825, the son of the marine and landscape painter James Meadows Senior (1788 to 1864), and brother to several painters including James Edwin Meadows (1828 to 1888) and Arthur Joseph Meadows (1843 to 1907). He trained initially as a scene painter in the London theatres before turning to easel painting. Meadows specialised in tranquil views of the English countryside, particularly Essex, Kent and Dorset, alongside a substantial body of Venetian views produced in the manner of the Grand Tour tradition. Though he does not appear to have exhibited at the Royal Academy, he showed at the Royal Hibernian Academy, and his signature is recorded in variant forms including William James, William George and simply George Meadows, reflecting the itinerant nature of his career. Examples of his work are held in several English public collections, including Doncaster Mansion House Museum, Gainsborough Old Hall and Rotherham Museum.

Literature
Christopher Wood, The Dictionary of Victorian Painters, Antique Collectors' Club, Woodbridge, 1971 (2nd edition 1978), under Meadows family entries.
Art UK, artist entry 'Meadows, William George, c.1825 to 1907', artuk.org.