A Castle and Lake by Moonlight

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Home Office, 2 Marsham Street

This atmospheric painting shows a fortified building and two men fishing by moonlight from a small dinghy on a river.

The building depicted resembles early 19th-century images of Chepstow Castle on the river Wye, in Wales. Painter Abraham Pether certainly knew of Chepstow as a painting of the castle by him was sold through Phillips auctioneers in 1980. However, although influenced by a real castle, this is one of numerous imaginary views by Pether showing an invented castle in a waterside setting, lit by moonlight. Despite the many similar works by Pether in existence, he is not known to have painted any of his imaginary compositions more than once.

Abraham Pether, a cousin of the painter William Pether, was born at Chichester and as a child showed a talent for music. However, he later became a pupil of the painter George Smith. His works mainly depict river and mountain scenery, often with classical buildings, although it was his popular moonlit views that inspired the nickname ‘Moonlight Pether’. He exhibited frequently at the Royal Academy and Free Society of Artists. Despite some success Pether was never able to do more than provide for the basic needs of his wife and children. Towards the end of his life he was incapacitated by disease. The Artist’s Benevolent Fund faced severe criticism for not supporting his family after the artist’s death, despite their acute poverty.

Places

Subjects

rowing boat, landscape C19th, genre, night, moon, lake, waterfall, man, castle, archway, tower

Materials & Techniques

canvas, oil, oil painting

Artist

Abraham Pether (1756 - 1812)

Title

A Castle and Lake by Moonlight

Date

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

height: 63.50 cm, width: 76.00 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from the Jeremy Maas Gallery, November 1965

Provenance

Sold through Sotheby's, London, on 29 July 1964 (Lot 354); from which sale purchased by J. S. Maas & Co. Ltd., London (listed in Maas records as possibly by Sebastian Peter); from whom purchased by the Ministry of Works in November 1965

GAC number

7253