The Sheep Pen (alt. title: Sheep Fold at Upper Farm)

The Sheep Pen was painted while Spencer was lodging at Garsington, and frequenting the circle around Lady Ottoline and Sir Philip Morrell. It was reproduced as plate 6 in British Artists of Today: Gilbert Spencer (Fleuron Press, 1926), the first publication dedicated to Spencer’s work. In his introduction to the volume, Sir Philip singled out The Sheep Pen for particular praise, asking ‘what could be more delicate or suggestive?’. Spencer excelled at depicting animals with gentle humour, and these sheep have a pleasingly self-satisfied demeanour.

Date: 1925
Inscriptions: lr: G SPENCER/ 1925
Tags: Landscape, Agricultural, Oil Paintings
Medium: Oil on canvas
Height (mm): 431
Width (mm): 648
Location: Private collection
Exhibition History: Goupil 1926 (47); Leicester Galleries 1956, 'Pictures from Garsington'; Reading 1964 (17)
Provenance: Lord Henry Bentinck MP; Anthony Mathias; Jenna Burlingham Gallery
Literature: Fleuron 1926 introduction, illus. pl. 6; Spencer 1974 p. 119