Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
**Title:**
Sierra Nevada Granada Spain Snowy Mountain Watercolour on Handmade Paper
**Artist:**
European School, 20th century
**Medium:**
Watercolour on handmade paper, unframed
**Size:**
7.75 x 11.25 inches
**Signature:**
Unsigned
**Stamped verso:**
No stamp visible from the images provided
**Provenance:**
Private collection
**Condition:**
Fair to good vintage condition. The handmade paper shows age toning, surface marks, pinholes, handling wear, creasing and irregular deckled edges. There are visible nicks, tears, small losses and roughness to the outer edges and corners, consistent with age and the nature of the handmade sheet. The painted image remains atmospheric, decorative and visually appealing.
**Description:**
A striking 20th century European School watercolour landscape, painted on textured handmade paper and inscribed verso **Sierra Nevada Granada Spain**. The composition depicts a dramatic mountain view, with snow-covered peaks rising above layered rocky slopes and a blue lake or valley below. The scene has a bold, simplified quality, combining the atmosphere of a travel study with the decorative structure of a modernist landscape.
The painting is particularly appealing for its graphic treatment of the mountain forms. The artist reduces the Sierra Nevada landscape into broad planes of muted blue, grey, brown, ochre, green and white, allowing the snow-capped ridges to stand out strongly against the darker surrounding slopes. The result is atmospheric yet design-led, with the landscape arranged almost as a series of abstract colour fields.
The verso inscription identifies the subject as the Sierra Nevada near Granada in Spain, giving the piece strong topographical and search appeal. The Sierra Nevada mountain range is one of southern Spain’s most distinctive landscapes, known for its dramatic peaks, changing light and contrast between high mountain scenery and warmer Andalusian tones. This watercolour captures that sense of rugged terrain through a restrained but expressive palette.
The handmade paper adds considerable character to the work. Its warm natural tone, visible fibres, pinholes and irregular deckled edges give the piece a tactile, artisanal quality, enhancing its sense as an original travel study or plein air-inspired work. The painted area sits within the sheet, leaving the surrounding handmade paper visible and giving the work a distinctive object-like presence.
This original watercolour would appeal to collectors of Spanish landscapes, Sierra Nevada paintings...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
