| Sheepwashing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | David Wilkie |
| Year | 1817 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, landscape painting |
| Dimensions | 90 cm× 137 cm(35 in× 54 in) |
| Location | Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh |
Sheepwashing is an 1817 landscape painting by the British artist David Wilkie. [1] It depicts a rural scene of shepherds washing sheep near a watermill. Wilkie was an admirer of Dutch landscapes of the seventeenth century by Jacob van Ruisdael and Meindert Hobbema and the painting is reminiscent of their styles. [2] It has been described as the only "pure landscape" that Wilkie ever exhibited. [3]
The painting was displayed at the British Institution's annual exhibition in 1817. [4] It was inspired by sketches he had made during an 1815 visit to Wiltshire. The scene shows the village of Fisherton de la Mere on the River Wylye near Salisbury. [5] Today the painting is in the collection of the Scottish National Gallery, having been acquired in 1911. [6] A watercolour study for the work is in the collection of the Royal Academy in London. [7]
