Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1978.43.9
Gallery Label:
George Lambert, a member of the artistic circle of William Hogarth and Francis Hayman, was the first British-born painter to devote himself entirely to landscape painting. This view of Box Hill, part of the range of the North Downs in southeastern England, was, together with a companion painting of Box Hill from a different viewpoint (Tate, London), formerly in the collection of the dukes of Bedford at Woburn Abbey. These works may have been commissioned by the fourth duke, who owned property in the area. They are, however, among the earliest representations of actual British scenery that was not part of a hunting scene or a country house portrait. Here a group of gentlemen enjoy a picnic on the hillside while taking in the sweeping views. Among them sits an artist, perhaps Lambert himself, who stops to sketch the scenery. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
