Haynes Fine Art, Broadway;
Private collection

STRUCTURE: Relined SURFACE: Paint surface is clean and stable with no signs of cracking or separation UV LIGHT: Under UV Light some minor retouchings appear on the branches of the two trees on the right hand side. Some minor areas in the sky and four small areas along the bottom right edge. These retouchings are minor and sensitively done. A few small retouchings in the water by the woods. FRAME: Contained in a modern plaster moulded frame. COLOUR COMPARISON: The colours are slightly lighter than the catalogue illustration suggests.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present picture may have been conceived as a pendant to a picture of the same dimensions exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1860, A Quiet Valley Among the Welsh Hills (Worcester City Museum and Art Gallery). A Quiet Valley Among the Welsh Hills  and the present work are comparable in style, if not subject, with another landscape painter John Brett's famous Val d'Aosta. The picture would have been painted only four years after A Quiet Pool in Glen Falloch (sold in these rooms, 14 December 2006, lot 136). The picture is a rare work by Leader, painted during an early period in his life when his landscape painting was enriched by the same qualities which are to be found in contemporary Pre-Raphaelite art. The paintings produced in the late 1850s and early 1860s are certainly the most interesting of all Leader's landscapes and have a sense of light and colour which was lost in his later work. His paintings have the same qualities which can be found in almost contemporary work by William Inchbold and to a lesser extent John Everett Millais' Scottish landscapes The Waterfall and his famous portrait of John Ruskin both of 1853.

It was around 1857 that Benjamin Williams made the decision to change his name, having become frustrated by the confusion caused by the similarity of his name to that of many artists exhibiting in the various exhibitions in London. He adopted his father's second name of Leader and became known as Benjamin Leader.  It was perhaps feelings of guilt at having dropped his family name that led Leader to rethink his name in 1858, finally choosing the name Benjamin Williams Leader. 'The twenty-five years from 1857 were very important for our artist. During this period he made every effort to establish himself as a professional landscape artist. This included obtaining official recognition on the walls of the most important public forum and testing ground for nineteenth century British artists - The Royal Academy. Changing his name was the first decisive step in his bid for fame.' (Ruth Wood, Benjamin Williams Leader RA 1831-1923, His Life and Paintings, 1998, p. 22)