Lot 577: Robert Ritchie, A Rural Landscape, Oil on Canvas 38x34cm

A rural British landscape by Robert Ritchie, executed in oil on stretched canvas. The composition presents a panoramic vista of rolling countryside, likely depicting a region such as the North Pennines. The foreground features a grassy slope detailed with yellow wildflowers and a dry-stone wall, leading to a middle ground occupied by a dense cluster of trees and sheep grazing in a walled pasture. The background shows receding layers of hills rendered in soft blue-green tones to suggest atmospheric perspective under a hazy, pale sky. The artist’s brushwork is precise, particularly in the textured rendering of the foliage and grass. A painted yellow signature reading R. Ritchie is located in the lower right corner. The painting is housed in a substantial wooden frame with a dark, figured outer moulding and a broad, stepped gilt-finished inner slip.