About this lot

Description

English School, 19th Century A Mill with Eel Traps on the Wye oil on canvas 90 x 150cm (35 x 59in)
Provenance: From a Norfolk country house Other Notes: Rivers such as the Wye and Severn once teemed with eels. At one time they were so common that they were a form of currency. The Domesday Book lists hundreds of water mills whose rent was paid in eels. Their presence in Wales is vital for the wild otters and herons that feed on them, as well as being economically important for fisheries. The European eel is now more endangered than the blue whale and the giant panda.
Oil on canvas which has been lined. The canvas is in plane. There is a localised area of horizontal cracking at the middle of the left hand side. The paint layer is stable and secure. There is an old damage which has been repaired and retouched at the lower left side. There are retouchings covering the craquelure pattern in the sky which are reasonable well matched to the original. The varnish layer is even and glossy. Frame in a reasonable condition with a few losses to the gilding.

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