Stoneleigh, Beaufort near Ararat, Victoria1866

Eugene von Guérard produced a series of celebrated Western District property paintings, usually commissioned for landowners as a statement of possession. In this case, Stoneleigh was owned by William Lewis. The Lewis family were successful sheep breeders and graziers in the Western district area.

The majestic expanse of sky, the space and the light are the dramatic elements in the work, overwhelming the fanciful motif of an Arcadian shepherd in the foreground, playing his pipe to the sheep. The natural grandeur of the scene is reinforced by the clear, bright, high-toned palette.