Artwork

Landscape with Bridge, Figures and Cattle

Landscape with Bridge, Figures and Cattle, by David Cox, watercolor, 1831
Landscape with Bridge, Figures and Cattle, by David Cox, watercolor, 1831

Landscape with Bridge, Figures and Cattle is a watercolor work on paper by the Barbizon school artist David Cox. It dates from 1831 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

Landscape with Bridge, Figures and Cattle is a watercolour painting created by David Cox in 1831, featuring a rural landscape with a bridge, human figures, and cattle, signed and dated by the artist.

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts a serene rural scene with a stone bridge, figures observing the landscape from the bridge, and cattle wading in a shallow pool, evoking a mood of tranquility and peacefulness.

Technique & Style

Cox employed watercolour to achieve a soft, dreamy effect, characteristic of the medium, with rolling hills in the background and a focus on capturing the rustic, weathered quality of the bridge.

History & Provenance

The work is dated to 1831 and signed by the artist, providing clear attribution, though specific provenance details are not provided in the available information.

Context

This painting can be contextualized within the Romantic movement, which often emphasized serene and idyllic natural settings, inviting emotional engagement with the depicted world.

Artist & collection

Portrait of David Cox

Artist

David Cox

David Cox (29 April 1783 – 7 June 1859) was an English landscape painter, one of the most important members of the Birmingham School of landscape artists and an early precursor of Impressionism.