A group of cattle and goats has been herded to drink in a stream or pool. Two country girls, a child and a man sit quietly on the sandy bank. The sun begins to sink behind the distant hills, casting a golden evening light over the peaceful woody landscape.
Gainsborough's painting is based on a drawing he made (private collection). It also echoes a painting by Rubens, now known as The Watering Hole, which Gainsborough saw in London in 1768. But where Rubens's work, now also in the National Gallery, is energetic and a morning scene, Gainsborough's, glimpsed in fading light, is tranquil and contemplative.
This painting was exhibited by Gainsborough at the Royal Academy in 1777 and he also made an etching of the scene (Tate Gallery, London).
Credit: Presented by Charles Long MP, later Lord Farnborough, 1827