1933

In 1933, Geelong Gallery acquired Burnham Beeches by an unknown artist, but it theorised the artist could be English artists, David Cox or Jas Townshend. This image takes its name from Burnham Beeches, an ancient forest in Buckinghamshire, England. The forest historically spanned almost the entire Buckinghamshire area, roughly the same size as Queensland. 

Burnham Beeches, an art deco mansion in Sherbrooke, near Melbourne, was named after the English forest, and was the site for Rone's 2019 Empire Project.

This image is a highly technical and detailed depiction of the sun illuminating a small forest glade. A solitary figure appears in the midst of this sublime natural setting, dwarfed by the giant gnarled trunks and dense canopy of the trees that encircle them. Although the creator of this work remains unknown, in 1901 Geelong Advertiser noted that 'it is easy to see that the work is the handiwork of a master, and everything is true to nature'.