Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 36 works by Anthony Devis in our catalogue
Summary
Upton House from the South (1784) is recorded as the most famous painting of Anthony Devis. View of Osterley from the East (1784) and View of Osterley from the South West (1784) occupy the second and third entries. Of the 36 works by Anthony Devis recorded in the catalogue, the 36 best known are listed below, each entry with its date, the holding museum and a note on the work.
Upton House from the South by Anthony Devis presents a view of Upton House, located in Warwickshire, United Kingdom. Created about 1784, the work captures the architectural presence of the estate from a southern perspective. The subject matter focuses on the specific topographical features of the Warwickshire landscape as they relate to the house.
Dursley, Gloucestershire
12
Landscape With St Martha's Chapel
13
Looking Over London
14
Tabley - The Old Hall From The Park
15
Landscape, Church And Village
16
Langdale Valley With The River Brathay
17
The Man in the Moon Inn
18
Landscape – Cottages and Cattle
19
Tabley - Tabley House From The Park
20
Margaret Ainge
21
Tabley - The Park With A Distant View Of The House
22
A River Scene With A Mansion Amongst Trees
23
St Martha's From Mr Devis's House At Albury, Surrey
24
Tabley - The Old Hall Across The Mere
25
Landscape view from Stirling Castle
26
Landscape – View of Derwentwater
27
View In Osterley Park With Two Children
28
View Of Osterley Park From The East
29
Romantic Landscape With Cattle And A Milkmaid
30
Landscape With House On The Edge Of A Wood
31
The River Ure At Hackfall, Near Ripon, West Riding Of Yorkshire
32
A View On The River Neath In Glamorganshire
33
A View In Glamorganshire
34
Landscape With A Hut In An Oak Tree And The 'man In The Moon' Inn
35
The Weeping Rock – A Waterfall at Hackfall near Ripon, West Riding of Yorkshire
36
Landscape With The Ruins Of St Martha's Chapel Beyond
The four subjects most frequently represented among these works, each with its best-known example.
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Anthony Devis | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Osterley Park And House |
London | 2 | View of Osterley from the East, View of Osterley from the South West |
Every dated Anthony Devis entry on this page bears the date 1784; the works are listed by rank.
Select a year to display its principal paintings.
Upton House from the South by Anthony Devis presents a view of Upton House, located in Warwickshire, United Kingdom. Created about 1784, the work captures the architectural presence of the estate from a southern perspective. The subject matter focuses on the specific topographical features of the Warwickshire landscape as they relate to the house.
Other works from 1784
Upton House from the South (1784). The following entries are View of Osterley from the East (1784) and View of Osterley from the South West (1784).
55 years: Anthony Devis was born in 1729 and Upton House from the South is dated 1784.
Upton House from the South, View of Osterley from the East, View of Osterley from the South West, Oxford, The Port Of Newton, Glamorgan, A Walnut Tree At Denton, Near Grantham And, Upton House From The South, Tabley - The Park And Mere, Albury House, Surrey and Landscape With Castle. The list above records the date and holding museum of each.
The catalogue records 36 works by Anthony Devis.
Principally in Osterley Park And House (London). The museum table above gives the full distribution.
In 1784: 3 of the 36 works listed on this page are dated to that period, including Upton House from the South.
Landscape (9), Buildings (7) and Scenes (7), out of the 36 works listed on this page.
View of Osterley from the East and View of Osterley from the South West are among the 2 works on this page in the collection of the Osterley Park And House, London.
Born in the industrious town of Preston, Lancashire, in 1729, Anthony Devis emerged as a profound voice within the landscape painting tradition of eighteenth-century Britain. His life and career, spanning nearly six decades until his death in 1816, were defined by an unwavering dedication to the observation of the natural world. While his early years were shaped by the practicalities of his father’s carpentry trade—a background that likely instilled in him a foundational respect for precision and structure—his artistic soul was guided by a much more ethereal pursuit. Devis possessed a rare ability to capture the sublime beauty of the English countryside, transforming mere topographical records into emotive experiences that resonated with the burgeoning Romantic sensibilities of his era.
The artist’s development was deeply rooted in familial connection and classical study. He benefited immensely from his relationship with Arthur Devis, an accomplished painter whose influence provided a vital bridge to the professional art world. As Devis established himself in London around 1760, he became a fixture in the prestigious circles of the Free Society of Artists and the Royal Academy. These institutions were not merely venues for exhibition but stages upon which he could showcase his mastery of light and atmosphere to the most discerning patrons of the age. His work often bridged the gap between the meticulous accuracy of topographical painting and the idealized, sweeping vistas inspired by the masters of the past.
To understand the depth of Devis’s technique, one must look to the giants upon whose shoulders he stood. His approach to composition and color was profoundly shaped by the dramatic works of Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin. From these masters, Devis learned the art of atmospheric perspective—the subtle manipulation of color gradations and clarity to create an illusion of immense depth and distance. This skill allowed him to guide the viewer’s eye through his landscapes, from the detailed textures of a foreground thicket to the hazy, ethereal silhouettes of distant hills.
His brushwork was characterized by a meticulous care that honored the reality of his subjects while imbuing them with a sense of timelessness. Whether he was depicting the rugged power of The Weeping Rock at Hackfall or the serene, structured beauty of Upton House, Devis utilized light not just as a tool for visibility, but as a narrative element. In his hands, sunlight could evoke the warmth of a summer afternoon or the melancholic chill of a winter twilight, making his landscapes feel less like static images and much more like living, breathing environments.
Beyond the canvas, Anthony Devis left an indelible mark on the decorative arts through one of the most charming collaborations in British history. His work with Josiah Wedgwood on the celebrated ‘Green Frog’ service remains a testament to his ability to translate landscape sensibilities into ceramic form. This intersection of fine art and industrial design highlights how Devis's aesthetic vision permeated the very fabric of Georgian material culture.
The historical significance of Devis lies in his role as a chronicler of a changing Britain. His oeuvre serves as a visual archive of the English landscape, capturing specific locales with a fidelity that honors both the physical reality and the emotional resonance of the land. His contributions can be summarized through several key pillars of his legacy:
Today, the works of Anthony Devis continue to captivate collectors and historians alike. He remains a pivotal figure whose tranquil landscapes offer a window into the soul of the British countryside, reminding us of a time when the meticulous observation of nature was the highest form of poetic expression.
