{"product_id":"charles-neal-oil-painting-banks-of-the-wye-coppett-hill-herefordshire-1989","title":"Charles Neal Oil Painting Banks of the Wye Coppett Hill Herefordshire 1989","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eCharles Neal (b. 1951) Field Scene by Banks of the Wye, Coppett Hill, Herefordshire, 1989\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSigned British Impressionist Oil Painting with 1989 John Campbell Master Framers Documentary History\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHighlights\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• Original oil on canvas by British artist Charles Neal\u003cbr\u003e• Signed “C. Neal” lower right\u003cbr\u003e• Dated 1989\u003cbr\u003e• Original handwritten subject and location label verso\u003cbr\u003e• Depicts a field by the Banks of the Wye at Coppett Hill also spelling variation as Coppet Hill, Herefordshire\u003cbr\u003e• Original canvas dimensions recorded verso as 24 × 20 inches\u003cbr\u003e• John Campbell Master Framers label dated 17 June 1989\u003cbr\u003e• Contemporary with Neal’s documented \u003cem\u003eFields of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e exhibition at John Campbell Gallery, London\u003cbr\u003e• Three figures within a richly coloured summer meadow\u003cbr\u003e• Expressive broken colour, directional brushwork and areas of impasto\u003cbr\u003e• Private UK collection provenance\u003cbr\u003e• Presented in a decorative moulded frame\u003cbr\u003e• Certificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution supplied\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA vibrant signed landscape by British painter Charles Neal (b. 1951), depicting a summer field by the Banks of the River Wye at Coppett Hill in Herefordshire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExecuted in 1989, the painting combines Neal’s characteristic interest in natural light, colour and atmosphere with unusually valuable documentary evidence preserved on the reverse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn apparently contemporary handwritten label identifies the scene as a field by the Banks of the Wye at Coppett Hill, Herefordshire, and records the canvas dimensions as 24 × 20 inches. A separate professional label bearing the stamp of John Campbell Master Framers documents temporary retouching varnish on 17 June 1989.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Campbell association is particularly interesting because Neal was exhibiting regularly with John Campbell Gallery during the later 1980s. His documented exhibition \u003cem\u003eFields of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e was held there in 1989, the same year as the dated label attached to this painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo exhibition catalogue, checklist or other documentation has presently been identified confirming that this individual painting was included in \u003cem\u003eFields of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e, and the connection is therefore recorded as historical context rather than confirmed exhibition provenance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArtist: Charles Neal\u003cbr\u003eArtist dates: Born 1951\u003cbr\u003eNationality: British\u003cbr\u003eDate: 1989\u003cbr\u003eTitle: \u003cem\u003eField Scene by Banks of the Wye, Coppet Hill, Herefordshire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMedium: Oil on canvas\u003cbr\u003eSignature: Signed “C. Neal” lower right\u003cbr\u003eSubject: Coppett Hill and the Wye Valley, Herefordshire\u003cbr\u003eOrientation: Portrait\u003cbr\u003eCanvas dimensions: 24 × 20 inches \/ approximately 61 × 50.8 cm\u003cbr\u003eFramed dimensions: 63.5 cm wide × 74 cm high × 3.5 cm deep\u003cbr\u003eVerso: Original handwritten subject label and dated John Campbell Master Framers varnishing label\u003cbr\u003eFrame: Decorative moulded frame\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Note\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeal places the viewer immediately before an abundant summer meadow, allowing vegetation, colour and changing illumination to dominate the foreground.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe field is constructed through an energetic accumulation of green, yellow, ochre, violet, cream and white. Long directional strokes describe grasses and stems, while smaller touches of more heavily applied pigment create the impression of scattered summer wildflowers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree figures appear within the middle distance. Economically described and modest in scale, their pale clothing forms a sequence of bright accents against the surrounding greens and darker woodland. They introduce human activity into the landscape without becoming its principal subject.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA substantial stand of mature trees anchors the left side of the composition. Their trunks and branches emerge intermittently through a dense canopy painted with overlapping strokes of green, brown and blue-grey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond the meadow, the landscape opens towards hedgerows and distant fields. Above them, an expansive blue sky carrying broad passages of pale cloud introduces light and space to the upper part of the composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting is particularly effective in its contrast between the shaded woodland at left and the intensely illuminated open meadow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClose examination reveals the physical character of Neal’s technique. Some passages are thinly brushed, allowing the texture of the canvas to remain visible between strokes. Elsewhere, particularly within the flowers and illuminated vegetation, pigment has been applied more substantially to produce raised areas of impasto.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt close range the painting reveals individual strokes, deposits of colour and exposed areas of canvas texture. From normal viewing distance these separate marks visually combine into grasses, flowers, foliage, figures, atmosphere and sunlight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCoppett Hill and the Wye Valley\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe geographical identification of the landscape is supported by physical evidence retained with the painting rather than being based solely upon later interpretation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe handwritten label identifies the scene with \u003cstrong\u003eCoppett Hill, Herefordshire, and the Banks of the Wye\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCoppett Hill rises above Goodrich within the Lower Wye Valley landscape. The area combines woodland, grassland and extensive rural views, characteristics particularly suited to Neal’s sustained interest in recording identifiable places through changing light, colour and season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting can therefore be understood as a study of a specifically recorded Herefordshire landscape rather than a generalized pastoral scene.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Verso Inscription\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn apparently contemporary handwritten label attached to the reverse records approximately:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Field Scene.\u003cbr\u003eby Banks of the Wye.\u003cbr\u003eCoppet Hill Herefordshire.\u003cbr\u003e24 × 20”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe inscription is an important element of the painting’s documentary history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt provides evidence for the subject, geographical location and original canvas dimensions and forms the basis for the title under which the painting is catalogued here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe established spelling \u003cstrong\u003eCoppett Hill\u003c\/strong\u003e is retained.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn Campbell Master Framers — 17 June 1989\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA separate professional varnishing label retained on the reverse bears the circular stamp:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJOHN CAMPBELL\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMASTER FRAMERS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe label records temporary retouching varnish dated:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e17 June 1989\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrinted instructions advise that final varnishing should take place approximately six to twelve months following the temporary application. The section provided for recording final varnishing appears not to have been completed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis dated physical evidence establishes that the painting had been completed and had entered the professional preparation or presentation process by June 1989.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt also supports cataloguing the work firmly as \u003cstrong\u003e1989\u003c\/strong\u003e, rather than the less precise “circa 1989”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharles Neal and John Campbell Gallery\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe John Campbell documentation becomes particularly interesting when considered alongside Neal’s contemporary exhibition history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished exhibition records document a sustained professional relationship between Charles Neal and John Campbell Gallery, London, during the later 1980s and 1990s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded exhibitions include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1986 — \u003cem\u003eSummer Re-Visited\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1987 — \u003cem\u003eHeart of England\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1988 — \u003cem\u003eNature in Colour\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1989 — \u003cem\u003eFields of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1992 — \u003cem\u003eBretagne\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1995 — \u003cem\u003eColours of Summer\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1996 — \u003cem\u003eStudio Collection\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present painting therefore carries a John Campbell Master Framers label dated \u003cstrong\u003e17 June 1989\u003c\/strong\u003e, during the same year in which Neal presented \u003cem\u003eFields of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e at John Campbell Gallery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis provides a noteworthy connection between the physical history of the painting and Neal’s documented professional activity at the time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe evidence does not, however, establish that this particular work was exhibited in \u003cem\u003eFields of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e. In the absence of an exhibition label, catalogue entry, stock record or checklist identifying the painting, no confirmed exhibition provenance is claimed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Artist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharles Neal was born in Surrey in 1951 and is a British painter particularly associated with landscapes, gardens, coastal subjects and historic estates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis formal artistic training began during his teenage years under Malcolm Domingo and Frances Lane-Mason. After approximately a decade of study, Neal developed an independent practice and travelled through Britain and France in search of subjects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe subsequently settled in the Cotswolds, whose countryside became an important and enduring source of inspiration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeal’s landscape paintings combine close observation of place with an Impressionist concern for light, colour and atmosphere. Seasonal change and the visual character of a landscape at a particular moment have remained recurrent themes throughout his career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis professional exhibition record was established by the early 1980s. Published exhibition histories record his participation in the Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition in 1982 and again in 1983, followed by gallery exhibitions in London and Gloucestershire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the middle of the decade he had established the sustained professional relationship with John Campbell Gallery that provides particularly relevant context for the present painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Painted Garden\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn important development in Neal’s later career came with the creation of his \u003cem\u003ePainted Garden\u003c\/em\u003e series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first major exhibition in this continuing project focused upon Rosemary Verey’s celebrated garden at Barnsley House in Gloucestershire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePresented at the Museum of Garden History in London in 1994, the exhibition was opened by the then Prince of Wales.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe project developed into a longstanding exploration of notable gardens and their changing appearance through different seasons and conditions of natural light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeal subsequently extended this interest to gardens and landscapes in Britain and abroad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present Coppett Hill painting predates the first \u003cem\u003ePainted Garden\u003c\/em\u003e exhibition by approximately five years, placing it within an earlier phase of Neal’s landscape career. Nevertheless, the close attention to vegetation, season, identifiable place and natural illumination already anticipates concerns that remained important throughout his mature work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLater projects have included substantial bodies of paintings associated with important historic estates and gardens including Blenheim Palace, Belvoir Castle and Highgrove.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFindlay Galleries has represented Neal exclusively since 2002.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComparative Work — Near Poulton, Gloucestershire\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA particularly useful comparison is provided by Charles Neal’s \u003cem\u003eNear Poulton – Gloucestershire\u003c\/em\u003e, dated 1990.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecorded by Leighton Fine Art, that painting is an oil on canvas measuring 28 × 24 inches. It is signed lower right and, importantly, is described as being titled on an original label verso. Its provenance is recorded as a private United Kingdom collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe work dates only approximately one year after the present Coppett Hill landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth paintings are oils on canvas, depict specifically identified western English locations, are signed lower right and retain verso documentation recording their subjects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe comparison provides useful independent evidence for Neal’s working and documentary practice around 1989–1990 and reinforces the significance of the handwritten Coppett Hill inscription retained on the present work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance \u0026amp; Recorded History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDirect from the artist, according to previous provenance information.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrivate Southern England collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDocumentary \u0026amp; Framing History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn Campbell Master Framers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTemporary retouching varnish recorded 17 June 1989.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe John Campbell label documents professional handling and varnishing rather than establishing ownership and is therefore recorded separately from the painting’s ownership provenance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExhibition History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo confirmed exhibition history for this individual painting has presently been established.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCharles Neal exhibited \u003cem\u003eFields of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e at John Campbell Gallery, London, in 1989. The present painting retains a John Campbell Master Framers label dated 17 June of the same year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo exhibition label, catalogue entry, stock record or checklist has presently been identified confirming that this particular painting formed part of \u003cem\u003eFields of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCanvas: 24 × 20 inches \/ approximately 61 × 50.8 cm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFramed: 63.5 cm wide × 74 cm high × 3.5 cm deep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Report\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting presents in very good overall condition for its age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painted surface retains strong colour together with extensive original texture and areas of raised impasto.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClose examination reveals passages where the texture and weave of the canvas remain visible between individual strokes. These characteristics appear principally related to Neal’s method of paint application rather than deterioration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMinor age-related surface characteristics and localised imperfections are present consistent with a work dating from 1989.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo major structural damage is apparent from the available visual examination.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe decorative frame presents well overall with minor marks and imperfections consistent with age, handling and display.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe original handwritten subject label and dated John Campbell Master Framers label survive verso and form important elements of the painting’s documentary history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease refer closely to the accompanying photographs, which form an integral part of the condition description.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorldwide shipping is available.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting will be professionally packaged and fully insured for transit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAttribution and Research\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe identification of the subject as a field scene by the Banks of the Wye at Coppett Hill, Herefordshire, is supported by the surviving handwritten label verso. The dating to 1989 is supported by the John Campbell Master Framers varnishing label dated 17 June 1989. Although Charles Neal is documented as exhibiting \u003cem\u003eFields of Vision\u003c\/em\u003e at John Campbell Gallery during 1989, no evidence has presently been identified confirming that this individual painting was included in that exhibition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpecialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditional photographs and further information are avail\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55073203388794,"sku":"CAC-SK-0334","price":4900.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0201\/2227\/1808\/files\/coppethill.jpg?v=1740131915","url":"https:\/\/cheshireantiquesconsultantltd.com\/it\/products\/charles-neal-oil-painting-banks-of-the-wye-coppett-hill-herefordshire-1989","provider":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","version":"1.0","type":"link"}