Attributed to Benjamin Zobel (1762-1831) Two bay horses, sheep and goats in a rural landscape a

Attributed to Benjamin Zobel (1762-1831) Two bay horses, sheep and goats in a rural landscape a marmotinto or sand painting 58 x 72cm (23 x 28in) In the 18th and 19th centuries when the House of Hanover ruled in England, ""table decking"" was introduced to the court at Windsor Castle by sand artists from Germany. Originating in Europe, and probably based on the Japanese craft of bonseki (tray-painting), marmotinto was fleetingly popular in England following a 1783 dinner party given by George III at Windsor Castle - the King was taken with a display of unfixed coloured sands, sugars and marble dust arranged under glass upon the surface of the dinner table in decorative patterns and including fruit and flowers, and exotic birds which was executed by a Bavarian table-decker named Benjamin Zobel, a friend of George Morland, a painter prominent in the ""Isle of Wight School"". The King and his courtiers were so impressed with the resulting picture, it was suggested that Zobel find a way to make his compositions permanent and hence the craft of `marmotinto` or sand painting was born and proved most successful under the patronage of various members of the royal household including the then Duke of York, who commissioned a number of works by Zobel. Zobel depicted ""pigs in the manner of Morland""; ""Nelson"", the favourite dog of the Duke of York; ""Tiger after George Stubbs"", and an impressive ""Vulture and snake. A diarist observed Zobel`s coating the surface of the baseboard with a mixture of gum arabic and white lead and sprinkling sand upon the sticky surface using a folded paper funnel as a brush. He had to work quickly since the adhesive would dry in a few hours. With the passing of the Georgian craftsmen and the disposal of the Duke of York`s collection the interest and skills evolved in sand picture work declined. The only Royal personage to take further interest in the craft was the late Queen Mary, consort to George V, who bequeathed her Georgian sand paintings to the Victoria and Albert Museum, and her collection of Isle of Wight sand pictures to Carisbrooke Castle Museum on the Isle of Wight. Zobel`s work now is extremely rare. Under glass and condition appears not too bad for a sand painting of this period.