The painting shows a herd of Highland cattle in the Pass of Levy which is about three miles north of Callender on the road to Lochearnhead in Scotland. The painting is stated to record a scene which had attracted Queen Victoria when she had driven through the Pass with Prince Albert. On a later occasion when she went through the Pass she noted that she had seen ‘endless droves of wild-looking, and for the most part extremely small, shaggy Highland cattle with their drovers and dogs – most wild and picturesque’. There is a preliminary sketch for the two calves in the foreground (RCIN 404116). Signed and dated: Gourlay Steell. RSA 1876.

Provenance: Painted for Queen Victoria.

Text from Royal Collection Trust website

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Osborne House, Isle of Wight
Material: Oil on canvas
Artist: Gourlay Steell (1819-94)
Date: 1876

Image Details
Date: 11 June 2024
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/25s
ISO: 500
Licensing: Image of a Royal Collection Trust asset. This image cannot be licensed.