The local Eltham butcher, Mr Capewell, posed with his horse and dog, in Eltham for this work. Withers’ wife described the painting as realistic, depicting an incident in the life of the fast disappearing drover: ‘The sheep are being driven through a ‘difficult passage’ in the heart of the Bush. The time is noon, on a hot Summer’s day, the dust rising from the ground and almost obscuring the wagon. The drover himself is mounted on an old horse, and has just signalled his dog to cease driving the sheep which are crowding into the narrow space left between the heavily timbered trees.’

Walter Withers was born in 1854 in Warwickshire, England. He died in 1914 in Eltham, Victoria, Australia. Walter Withers was a member of the Heidelberg School, a group of artists working in groups en plein air (outdoors) in Sydney and Melbourne. The most noted members of the group were Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin and Charles Conder.

Combining Australian nationalism with impressionist painting techniques, the Heidelberg School artists sought to explore Australian life, the bush, Australia’s unique light, and to tell classic stories of Australian folklore. Their works are considered to be the first to realistically and sensitively depict the Australian landscape.

Depending on the location, item, and weight, interstate shipping can be arranged and calculated prior to purchase.

Dimensions: 920mm Width x 740mm Height x 50mm Depth 

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