Punting on a River

Having grown up along the banks of the Waveney River Munnings was always attracted to its sights and sounds. The image of children in a rowboat was obviously scene close to his heart as the very first picture he presented to renown summer exhibitions at the Royal Academy in 1899 was of two children in a row boat such as the one in this present work. It invariably reminded him of his own childhood days as he played in the river with his brothers. In fact Munnings, known as a horseman was also an extremely keen sailor. Probably painted about 1906 at Mendham, the row boat appears to be the same depicted in Idle Moments (S. Booth, Sir Alfred Munnings, London, 1978, p. 65).

This work will be included in Lorian Peralta-Ramos's forthcoming catalogue raisonée of the works of Sir Alfred Munnings.