John Tobias Young, 
British 1790-1822- 
An extensive landscape with cattle and a drover crossing...

John Tobias Young, 
British 1790-1822- 

An extensive landscape with cattle and a drover crossing a bridge; 

oil on canvas, signed and dated 'T YOUNG 1822' (lower left), 60.5 x 73.6 cm. 

Provenance: 
The Geoffrey and Fay Elliott Collection. 

Note: 
John Tobias Young, sometimes known as Tobias Young, was probably born in Mildenhall near Marlborough and subsequently lived in Southampton until his death. He is thought to have painted the scenery for Lord Barrymore's theatre at Wargrave from 1788-92, and his obituary mentions his painting of the 'Judgement of Solomon' dated 1810 (presented to the City of Southampton). However, he is best known for his charmingly detailed landscape views such as this painting, which is possibly a view of the Irish countryside, where he was known to have visited in the early 1820s. For a comparable oil on canvas by the artist, entitled 'The Gap of Dunloe, Killarney, Co. Kerry' and painted in 1821, see Anon. sale, Christie's, London, 19 May 2000, lot 114.

Throughout careers that took them to London, New York and their adopted home of Bermuda, Geoffrey and Fay Elliott amassed an eclectic and diverse collection of art and antiques. Geoffrey's early career followed his father's footsteps into the Secret Service before moving into banking. During his semi-retirement he enjoyed exploring and documenting the life of his elusive father who spent much of the war in a Nazi prison camp. This led Geoffrey to start writing about his family and he went on to publish 'I Spy: The Secret Life of a British Agent' (1998) - about his father, 'Secret Classrooms: An Untold Story of the Cold War' (2002) - about his own experience, and 'From Siberia with Love: A Story of Exile, Revolution and Cigarettes' (2004) - about his grandparents. Collecting artefacts from their extensive travels became a lifelong passion for Geoffrey and Fay, one they enjoyed and shared together. Latterly, they donated some of this sizeable collection to The Bermuda National Archives, the Morgan Library in New York, Leeds University and the British Library.