Read the visual description
The image shows a rocky slope leading down to a valley between mountains. The horizon is high in the scene, with mist-covered peaks in the distance. The sun is visible, casting a soft glow over the mountain tops. The painting features fluid brushstrokes, creating a dramatic atmosphere. The color palette is monochrome, with blacks, grays, and whites providing contrast. Two figures are on the rocky terrain, one standing with a staff and the other seated, both looking towards a waterfall in the distance. Rocks, sparse vegetation, cliffs, and a lone tree can be seen in the scene.
National Gallery of Art · Drawing
American Scene
Thomas Leeson Rowbotham
- Date
- c. 1832/1835
- Medium
- gray wash with scratching out on wove paper
- Dimensions
- sheet: 20 × 27.9 cm (7 7/8 × 11 in.) mount: 25.7 × 34.4 cm (10 1/8 × 13 9/16 in.)
- Classification
- Drawing
- Accession number
- 2018.167.2
- Credit line
- William B. O'Neal Fund
- Time span
- 1826 to 1850
- Department
- CG-E
Subjects and terms
- North American Tribes
- landscape
Provenance
Philip William Skynner Miles, Leigh Court (near Bristol), part of an album that bore his initials on the front cover. R. E. Summerfield; (his sale, Christie's London, 20 March 1990, no. 62); private collection; (sale, Woolley & Wallis, 12 September 2017, no. 152); (Guy Peppiatt Fine Art Ltd., London); purchased 2018 by NGA.
Inscription
in pen and brown ink, lower center verso: American Scene / 1.0.0. Rowbotham
NGA object ID 216694. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.