A Cart with Two Horses near a Windmill

Cox employed black chalk for the primary drawing, then applied white gouache to highlight areas of light, creating a stark tonal contrast. This method enhances depth and volume, a hallmark of his approach to drawing that anticipates later Impressionist concerns with light and surface.

David Cox, a prominent English landscape artist linked to the Birmingham School, produced the piece during the early phase of his career. It belongs to the period when he was establishing his reputation as a leading figure in the Golden Age of English watercolour.

The drawing emerges from early‑19th‑century England, a time when artists increasingly turned to ordinary rural subjects. Cox’s interest in everyday scenes aligns with contemporary shifts toward naturalism and the documentation of the English countryside.