John Glover, O.W.S. (Houghton-on-the-Hill 1767-1849 Deddington, Tasmania)

The son of a Leicestershire farmer, Glover was appointed writing master at a school in Westmorland in 1786, and eight years later became drawing master in Lichfield, Staffordshire. He was a pupil of William Payne, and in 1795 began exhibiting oil paintings at the Royal Academy, which were favourably received compared to those of Turner, much to the irritation of John Constable. A founding member of the Old Water-Colour Society, Glover exhibited regularly before he emigrated to Tasmania in 1831, becoming famous as the father of Australian landscape painting. There are several known drawings and paintings that Glover made in and around Llangollen, and this landscape would appear to show St Collen's Church by the river Dee, with Castell Dinas Brân on the hilltop beyond. There were several views of Llangollen by Glover that were publicly exhibited during the 1820s that may be identified with this picture.