Chester Castle by moonlight by Henry Pether (1828-1865)

Visitors walking towards the bustling shopping streets of Chester city centre in the run up to Christmas would be hard-pressed to identify the serene scene captured by Henry Pether just two generations previously.

Sheep by a Mountain Stream, North Wales by William Huggins (1820-1884)

At this time of year, as summer all too easily gives way to autumn, the view of our landscape changes in colour from greens to browns. This colour scheme has long provided a source of inspiration for artists and this month’s painting by Liverpool born artist William Huggins is no exception.

Beeston Castle by George Barret Senior (c.1730-1784)

The first stone of Beeston Castle was laid in 1220 by Ranulf Blundeville, Earl of Chester.

The castle has been derelict since its capture by the Roundheads during the English Civil War but its ruins still cast an imposing sight from its location on an isolated sandstone crag. On a clear day the low-lying land of the Cheshire plain which surrounds it affords a view over eight counties. The majesty of the castle and its surrounding landscape as they would have appeared in the mid eighteenth century are captured perfectly in this oil painting by George Barrett. It depicts the best preserved part of the castle, the inner gatehouse and its two projecting semi-circular towers. 

Mary of Magdela (Startled in a wood) (1856-1935)

Mary of Magdela, Startled in a Wood was painted in 1893 by Herbert Gustave Schmalz.

It is one of several of his works that portray the resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene was the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection and that moment is captured beautifully here.

Feeding the ducks by John Frederick Herring Senior (1795-1865)

Why you should see this painting:

This beautiful and timeless work is a reminder for us all to be grateful for what and who we have around us and to take satisfaction from the simple pleasures in life.

 

This charming if somewhat inauspicious painting currently on display in the Grosvenor Museum in Chester belies its impressive past. For many years it hung in nearby Hoole Hall where it would have been displayed prominently, thanks to the reputation of its artist. In the mid-nineteenth century John Frederick Herring was a successful artist who counted Queen Victoria, the Duke of Orleans and George IV as his patrons. Such high profile patronage ensured Herring’s works had a regular market amongst the gentry who would have been eager to impress their regal tastes upon their friends.

The Reverend Charles Kingsley (1819–1875) by Thomas Walmsley Price (1855–1933)

Little is known about the Chester artist Thomas Walmsley Price apart from the fact that he was a prolific painter of Welsh landscapes. It might therefore seem unusual that arguably his best known work is a painting of The Reverend Charles Kingsley.

The sombre shading, typical of a formal Victorian likeness, means this unassuming portrait can be easily overlooked. Its location high above a doorway on the first floor of the Grosvenor Museum seems unbefitting for a man to whom the building owes its very existence. Whilst a canon of Chester Cathedral, Kingsley played a pivotal role in the founding of the Chester Society of Natural Science, Literature and Art which in turn founded the Grosvenor Museum.