Mountain lake

Benjamin Barker the Younger (1776–1838) was an English landscape painter born into a family of artists that included his father, Benjamin Barker the Elder (1729-1803), and his two brothers, Thomas (1769-1847) and Joseph (1782-1809). The family moved to Bath around 1783, where Barker produced most of his works. He exhibited occasionally at the Royal Academy, the Watercolour Society and the British Institution, as well as publishing a set of 48 aquatints in 1824 titled ‘English Landscape Scenery’ (engraved by Thales Fielding). Barker left Bath in 1833 to settle in Totnes.

Though he was primarily an oil painter, Barker did produce numerous watercolours like Mountain lake, which followed the conventions of English picturesque landscapes, using trees as framing devices and soft lighting to draw the viewer’s eye to the centre of the composition. The addition of cattle and the peasant figure adds to the idyllic atmosphere.

Mallalieu, H.L. (1986), The Dictionary of British Watercolour Artists up to 1920: Volume I – The Text, 2nd edition, Suffolk: Antique Collectors’ Club.