18th Century English School - Two Gentleman Walking in a Rural Landscape

This late 18th Century watercolour depicts two gentlemen rambling through the English countryside beside a river. English landscape compositions were beginning to become more and more popular due to artists such as Richard Wilson, George Lambert and in watercolour, Paul Sandby. Kim Sloan's excellent book on British amateur artists between 1600 and 1800 provides various possible attributions that could be linked to this work.(1) For example, there is a watercolour of a waterfall by Amos Green (1735-1805) that shares a similar style and palette, and also works by tutees of John Baptist Malchair (1730-1812) that are comparable. (2)
 
Medium: Watercolour on paper, 18.9 x 10.5 cm, framed.
 
Provenance: Abbott & Holder (stock number: 11400); Dr. Edward Brett's Collection.
 
References:
(1) Kim Sloan. A Noble Art: Amateur Artists and Drawing Masters c.1600-1800. Exhibition Catalogue, British Museum: London, 2000.
(2) Ibid., pp.162-166.