Edwardian Oil Painting | Herbert King  A Fine Morning After Rain | Antique British Landscape Art

This enchanting pastoral scene, A Fine Morning After Rain, invites the viewer into a timeless moment: a soft dawn after a gentle shower, where a woman and child stride toward us along a country lane, accompanied by their lively border collie. Behind them, a modest cottage nestles behind a tree, its every brick suggested, not laboured - tactile, atmospheric, reminiscent of Gainsborough's serene expanses. Painted with an economy of confident strokes, this landscape achieves expressive depth without flourish, offering new discoveries with each contemplative return.

Perhaps its most compelling testimony lies in the verso: the artists own hand has inscribed the title, A Fine Morning After Rain, and signed it with a neat HK, grounding this work in the artists intent. Even more telling, the Winsor & Newton Rathbone Place stamp graces the canvas back an exact match to the period (1896-1920) when King was active providing irrefutable, material confirmation of both age and origin. The gently aged wood and gilding of the frame add further weight to the conclusion that this is the original presentation, preserved in remarkably good antique condition. A light professional cleaning would likely yield greater clarity in colour without compromising its substance or charm.

Measuring approximately 60 cm × 43 cm on canvas and 74 cm × 57 cm in its original frame, this piece is ideally proportioned for both private collections and gallery display. Its presence is commanding without dominating a statement of refined taste rather than extravagance.

This painting also shares distinct similarities with other authenticated works by King that have appeared at auction, including one depicting the same countryside scene from a different angle. This suggests that the artist revisited this location, exploring its light and composition across multiple canvases an insight that adds further depth and collectability to this piece.

Though Herbert King remains an elusive figure in art history, auction records confirm his activity during the turn of the 20th century as a landscape painter of pastoral intimacy. Works catalogued as continental cottages and figures have achieved consistent results in UK sales, but this painting stands apart not least for its authenticated canvas, the artists handwritten title, and its evocative composition which elevate it to a special category for connoisseurs of Edwardian British landscapes.

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