Arthur Wardle Signed Exmoor Moorland Landscape Oil Painting, British Victorian Circa 1900

Details

Description

Arthur Wardle (British, 1864–1949)
“Exmoor” — Rare British Moorland Landscape Oil, circa 1900
Oil on canvas laid on board, in … Read more Arthur Wardle (British, 1864–1949)
“Exmoor” — Rare British Moorland Landscape Oil, circa 1900
Oil on canvas laid on board, in gilt frame

Subject & Medium
Oil on canvas laid on board. A finely painted Exmoor moorland landscape by renowned British animal and sporting painter Arthur Wardle, here working in a rarer landscape subject. The scene shows a winding track through open moorland and heather-covered hills beneath a bright blue sky with drifting clouds. A classic British countryside painting with strong sense of place, ideal for traditional or modern interiors. Signed lower right.

Composition, Technique & Colour
Wardle structures the picture around a pale, stony track that leads the eye into the distance, creating depth and atmosphere. The moorland is built with confident broken brushwork and layered paint that suggests wind-swept grasses and heather.
Colour is a major strength of the work: warm russet, mauve, and heather-purple tones across the land are balanced with soft mossy greens and ochres, while the sky is rendered in clear, luminous blues with gentle white and cream cloud forms. The warm-and-cool balance makes this painting especially decorator-friendly and easy to place in a wide range of rooms.

Historical Importance
This painting belongs to the long British tradition of late Victorian and Edwardian moorland and heathland landscapes, prized for their calm, open-air character and connection to rural Britain. Exmoor scenery in particular has long been celebrated for its remoteness, big skies, and distinctive heather moorland.
Arthur Wardle is best known for dogs, horses, and sporting subjects, so a well-resolved landscape by him is comparatively uncommon and appealing to collectors. Paintings of this type were traditionally purchased for libraries, studies, halls, and drawing rooms as timeless countryside pictures, and the same interior appeal remains today.

About the Artist
Arthur Wardle is a widely collected British painter of the late 19th and early 20th century, celebrated for natural observation and strong draftsmanship. He exhibited at the Royal Academy and later held a one-man exhibition at the Fine Art Society in 1931 and an exhibition at Vicars Gallery in 1935. While most associated with animal painting, he also produced landscapes and place pictures such as this Exmoor view.

Signature
Signed “Arthur Wardle” lower right.
Framing
Presented in a traditional gilt frame. Note: prior auction cataloguing indicates the frame is later and re-gilded rather than original to the painting.

Size
Framed: approximately 37 cm (H) x 45 cm (W) x 3 cm (D).

Provenance
Private collection
Burstow & Hewett (UK), Thereafter acquired & curated Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD

Exhibition History
No specific exhibition label is present for this individual painting. Wardle’s broader exhibition career is well documented, including Royal Academy exhibitions and later exhibitions at the Fine Art Society (1931) and Vicars Gallery (1935).

Why You’ll Love It
Rare landscape subject by Arthur Wardle, best known for animals and sporting art
Classic Exmoor moorland scenery with heather, open hills, and big sky
Strong interior appeal: calm, timeless British countryside palette
Signed work by a widely collected British exhibitor-level artist
Perfect for library, study, hallway, country house, or modern rustic interiors See less