A painting of New Hall Mill by David Bates

David Bates was an English landscape artist who painted in oils and watercolour. He was born in March, Cambridgeshire, in late 1841 (his birth was registered in the North Witchford district). He was the son of Benjamin Bates, and Sarah, nee Christmas.

From 1855 onwards David worked as a porcelain painter at the Royal Worcester porcelain works in Worcester. He eventually specialised in painting flowers on porcelain.

Bates left Royal Worcester in 1880 to become a professional full-time painter. He painted in the open air, preferring rural landscapes. He worked in the Midlands, Scotland, and Wales, as well as abroad in Switzerland and Egypt. His work was influenced by Benjamin Williams Leader, Joseph Thors and Samuel Henry Baker.

David married Elizabeth Higgs in Upton on Severn in 1867. They had seven children: Paul (1868), John (1870), Laura Mary (1872), Elizabeth Lucy (1874), David Samuel (1875), Tom Samuel (1877-1877), and Miriam (1877 - his twin?)

By 1881 they were all living at Hollymount Cottage in St Anne's Road, Great Malvern. In 1891 the family were in Pershore Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham. Then in 1901 the family were living in Chantry Road King's Norton. The Bates family had moved to Teddington by 1911.

Obituary

David died on 21 Feb 1921. Several papers ran obituaries, including the Evesham Standard, which reported:

DEATH OF MR DAVID BATES.

Work in Worcester and Malvern.

The death has occurred at Teddington, at the age of about 80, of Mr David Bates, formerly of Malvern and of Worcester, a painter of Midland repute, but for the last quarter of a century a Thames side resident. His father was a native of Malvern, and his younger brother was the late Mr Tom Bates, surgeon, of Worcester.

He himself served an apprenticeship at the Royal Porcelain Works, where he was a painter of flowers and vases, plates etc., a kind of decoration in which he showed great delicacy of touch. In those days, and in a later period, while his talent was developing, he was a fairly frequent exhibitor at the Royal Academy. His first exhibited picture was "Moel Siabod", a landscape from the height of the Welsh Mountain, with really remarkable finish and detail (which were more in vogue at the Academy in those now distant days than now).

Like B. W. Leader [Benjamin Williams Leader], a Worcester contemporary, he was fond of Welsh streams and mountains as subjects. Another picture of his which became better known, was "Under the beeches," which was purchased from the Academy walls by the late Lord Leighton on behalf of the South Australian Government in 1883. This picture was practically the view from the house where he lived on Malvern Hills, near St Anne's Well.

Upon leaving the Porcelain Works, he quitted England to accept the employ of a Liverpool firm on the West Coast of Africa. On his return he took up his residence at Worcester, and it was then that he rapidly acquired a reputation as a landscape painter. He afterwards removed to Malvern, finding in that neighbourhood many picturesque subjects.

Later he went to live for a period of 15 or 20 years in Birmingham, where his work was well known and widely appreciated, and finally he went south.

His name continues to be well known in the picture world, but it was only a memory to Worcestershire. He leaves a son, Mr Noel Bates, who has inherited his talent.

John Bates, (1870-1927), adopted the professional name John Bates Noel. He was a notable landscape painter in his own right.

Exhibits

During his lifetime, David Bates exhibited his works at the Royal Academy, the Grosvenor Gallery, the Royal Society of British Artists and the New Watercolour Society in London, and at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, with which his style was clearly associated.

Today, several of his works are currently on display in and around our local area. There are some in Worcester City Art Gallery, another in Wednesbury Museum and Art Gallery, and most interestingly, one of his paintings called "Mending the Fence" which is set in nearby Sutton Park, is held by Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

The painting of New Hall Mill

The oil painting of New Hall Mill is believed to be in private ownership. It is signed David Bates, and dated 1894 in the lower right corner. At some point it has been erroneously labelled to the rear:

"Mill at Penns, Warwickshire - David Bates."

We are aware of this painting being sold at auction twice:

• Sold by DuMouchelles, Detroit, US, 15th Sep 2006.
• Sold by Sworders fine art auctioneers. Hertford, UK, 9th December 2014.

The auction details tell us that it measures 40 x 60 cm (15.75 x 23.62 inches).

We have reproduced one of the auction images in good faith, and will remove it on request.

We would welcome any news regarding the present location of the painting.