Edward John Cobbett, R.B.A. (1815-1899) A Rural Idyll Oil on canvas, 97.5 x 168.5cm (38½ x 66¼) Signed and dated 1859 Provenance: Sale, deVere's, 30/03/2004, Lot 60 Edward John Cobbett was a 19th Century English painter best known for his romanticised rural scenes. In the midst of the Industrial Revolution, such works appealed to many in Victorian Society, as they offered a moment of distraction from urban life. Cobbett was particularly skilled in his portrayal of children, who were the subject of many of his works. His thoughtful and sensitive depiction of children of humble circumstances afforded the works a quiet dignity, with figures surrounded by the beauty of nature. In this painting five girls of different ages rest on the side of a grassy path among ferns and heather. The setting, in a rustic mountainous landscape closely resembles the West of Ireland. The beauty of this rural scene is echoed in the way the children are painted. Their delicate faces and flushed cheeks, as they sit below a cloud filled blue sky evokes an atmosphere of peace and serenity. The innocence of the children is expressed by the younger girls playing with a puppy. The artist's impressive technical ability and attention to detail can be seen in the baskets of turf and ferns carried by the older girls. Their clothes, painted in earth-like tones of red, browns and greens, are worn but not ragged, evoking a sense of simplicity and kinship with the natural world.