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

This painting 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 Morrell 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: Unknown
Exhibition History: Goupil 1926 (47); Leicester Galleries 1956, 'Pictures from Garsington'; Reading 1964 (17)
Provenance: Lord Henry Bentinck MP; Anthony Mathias
Literature: Fleuron 1926 introduction, illus. pl. 6; Spencer 1974 p. 119