Important Equestrian Oil Painting Travelling to Chester On the Road C1874 By Edward Lloyd Of Ellesmere

🖼️ Edward Lloyd of Ellesmere (1818–1901)

Important Victorian Equestrian Oil Painting

Travelling to Chester (On the Road) — dated 4 August 1874

Subject & Medium 🐎

Oil on canvas. A richly narrative Victorian equine and travel oil painting scene: a horse dealer/trader rides along a country road toward Chester market, leading a string of horses. A weathered signpost points the way to “Chester”, while additional riders and horses appear in the distance, reinforcing the sense of shared movement toward the fair.

Composition & Technique 🎨

Lloyd constructs the picture around forward momentum—the road rises toward the crest, the horses advance in a believable sequence, and the signpost provides an instant “you are here” moment.
Equine accuracy & character: Each horse is individually described—weight, stance, gait, and temperament feel observed rather than invented.
Narrative clarity: The signpost is a masterstroke: it turns a rural ride into a defined story (a journey with purpose).
Landscape atmosphere: The pale sky and distant hills create air and depth, while the roadside details (path texture, grasses/flowers, and earthy tones) add tactility.
Balanced handling: Firmer, more detailed work in the horses and tack; looser, more atmospheric treatment in the sky and middle distance—classic Victorian sporting-picture structure that reads well from across a room.

About the Artist 🏇

Edward Lloyd was a Shropshire-based sporting and animal painter, strongly associated with Ellesmere. He is best known for equine subjects and rural sporting scenes, and he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1861. His pictures were made for (and remain popular with) collectors who value truthful animal painting—the ability to capture a horse’s structure and presence—combined with landscape setting and narrative.

Historical Importance 📜

This painting sits within the long British tradition of sporting and equine art—works historically collected for country houses, libraries, and stable offices as records of rural life, horse culture, and regional identity.

It also aligns with the collecting taste that surrounded major equestrian patronage and later international connoisseurship:
The Marquess of Anglesey (the Paget family, Plas Newydd) is famously linked to horses and British equestrian culture—representing the kind of historic milieu where equine pictures were prized and displayed. 
In the 20th century, collectors such as Paul Mellon helped elevate British sporting art internationally, demonstrating how serious buyers have long pursued quality horse painting, not only the household names but also gifted specialists. 
(These are references to the collecting tradition—no claim is made that this specific painting belonged to those collections.)

Signed ✍️

Signed and inscribed “Edward Lloyd, Ellesmere” and dated “Aug 4 1874”.

Framed 🪞✨

Presented in a fine original Victorian gilt composition frame with moulded floral and classical detailing—highly complementary to the period and subject.

Size 📏

Framed size approximately:
33.26 in (84.5 cm) wide x 27.36 in (69.5 cm) high x 2.95 in (7.5 cm) deep

Provenance 🧾

From the Albert Helliwell deceased estate collection (UK)
Sold at Hutchinson Scott, unreserved estate sale, 30 October 2020, catalogued as “Travelling to Chester horse fair”, signed and dated 4 August 1874. Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD.

Why You’ll Love It 💚

✅ Instant conversation piece: the signpost to “Chester” makes the narrative clear—guests immediately understand the story and lean in.
✅ Beautiful equine presence: the white horse is a standout focal note, balanced by the rich browns and darker mount—strong visual harmony.
✅ Decorator-friendly palette: earthy road tones, soft sky blues/greys, and natural greens work in both traditional and contemporary interiors.
✅ Ellesmere-signed & precisely dated: collectors love clearly anchored works—signature, place inscription, and exact day/month/year.
✅ Country-house character: the subject and frame sit perfectly in a library, study, hall, or equestrian interior—classic “sporting wall” appeal.
✅ Collecting tradition: the same genre admired by historic British equestrian circles (e.g., Anglesey) and later championed internationally by connoisseurs such as Paul Mellon.

Condition Report 🔎

Offered in good antique condition, commensurate with age.
The canvas shows various craquelure, scattered surface wear, and areas of historic restoration/retouching, with some paint loss and repair patches verso consistent with an old 19th-century oil painting.
The frame shows age-related wear including scuffs, chips, and old repairs—typical and appropriate for an original Victorian composition frame.

Please note: the photographs form an integral part of the description and condition report, and should be consulted carefully as part of the overall assessment of this piece.

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