Description
A beautifully atmospheric early 20th-century landscape by Herbert Walter Oake, signed and dated 1922.
The scene is painted with a restrained blue-grey palette and loose, expressive handling, showing water, distant land and soft hills beneath a pale shifting sky. Compact in scale but highly decorative, it has the quiet Scottish period feel that works well in both traditional and contemporary interiors.
The painting is an oil on board, signed and dated lower left, and presented in a gilt frame. The surface has visible age-related texture and craquelure consistent with an early 20th-century oil on board, giving the work an attractive period character.
| Artist |
Herbert Walter Oake (1881-1939) |
| Title |
“Untitled River Landscape” (descriptive title) |
| Date |
1922 |
| Medium |
Oil on board |
| Support |
Board |
| Signature |
Signed and dated lower left, H. W. Oake, 1922 |
| Dimensions |
Artwork: 29 x 40 cm (11.4 x 15.7 inches)
Frame: 35 x 46 cm (13.8 x 18.1 inches) |
| Frame |
Gilt frame |
| Condition |
Good antique condition overall, with visible age-related surface texture and craquelure consistent with an early 20th-century oil on board. The frame has age-related rubbing, marks and wear. Please review photographs carefully. |
| Provenance |
Private collection |
About the Artist
Herbert Walter Oake (1881-1939) was a British painter strongly associated with Scotland. Born in Bebington, Cheshire, he studied at Edinburgh College of Art and later taught there.
Oake painted landscapes, coastal scenes, figural subjects and still lifes, working particularly in oils. He exhibited at the Royal Academy and Royal Scottish Academy, where his recorded exhibition activity extended from 1922 to 1931.
During the First World War he served with the Royal Engineers, producing sketches during his military service. His work is recorded by Art UK, including an example held in the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum collection.
Estimated Date
1922, as dated by the artist.
Provenance & Notes
Private collection. Signed and dated 1922, this painting belongs to the period when Oake's Scottish exhibition career was becoming established. Its restrained palette, atmospheric handling and traditional gilt frame make it an appealing example of early 20th-century British landscape painting.
