Artwork
A Barley Rick: Storm
A Barley Rick: Storm is an unspecified painting by David Charles Read. It dates from 1830 and is held in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum.
About this work
Overview
David Charles Read’s oil painting A Barley Rick: Storm, executed around 1830, portrays a bustling rural scene centred on a massive, golden‑brown haystack. A ladder leans against the stack, and figures are positioned both atop and around it, while a dark, cloud‑filled sky looms overhead, suggesting an approaching storm.
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures a moment of collective labour during the barley harvest, emphasizing communal effort and the resilience of agrarian life in the face of inclement weather. The juxtaposition of the warm hay with the threatening sky underscores a tension between abundance and uncertainty.
Technique & Style
Read employs a restrained palette of earthy ochres and muted greens, rendering the haystack’s texture with fine brushwork that conveys both its bulk and its tactile surface. The figures are rendered with modest detail, their clothing and posture suggesting movement and cooperation.
History & Provenance
Created in the early nineteenth century, the work entered the collection of the Ashmolean Museum, where it remains on display. Its provenance prior to acquisition by the museum is not extensively documented, but the painting reflects the period’s interest in rural genre scenes.
Context
The painting belongs to a tradition of British agricultural genre painting that flourished in the early 1800s, documenting everyday labour and the landscape of the countryside. Such works often served both as visual records of rural practices and as moral exemplars of industriousness.
Artist & collection
