(British, 1844-1926)

Hay harvesters cutting and loading hay wagons, signed lower right "J. Hey Davies, R.C.A.", artist's inscribed and signed label verso, oil on canvas, 14 x 21 in.; Louis XV style frame, 20 x 27 x 2-1/2 in.

Provenance: The Cider House Galleries, Ltd., purchased in 2012 for BP 2,200/$3,410 (facsimile of receipt accompanies this lot); Private Collection; Virginia Private Collection

Note: James Hey Davies, born in Manchester, remained closely tied to his hometown throughout his life. Trained at the Manchester School of Art and later the Royal Academy Schools in London-where he won the Turner Gold Medal, he was a founding figure of the "Victorian Manchester School of Painters," a group that rejected traditional academic methods in favor of painting from life with freer use of color and tone. Strongly influenced by artist Joseph Knight, Davies focused on landscapes and exhibited widely, particularly at the Royal Cambrian Academy. He traveled to France and Sweden to study, but his work was most prominently shown in Manchester, where he died in 1930 at the age of 86. His paintings are held in several major British institutions, as well as private collections.