Robert Hills (1769-1844) trained at the Royal Academy from 1788 and specialised in rural subjects, particularly farm animals. A watercolourist and etcher, he was one of the six founding members of the Old Watercolour Society in 1804; he exhibited some 600 works there over the course of his career. His talent at rendering animals was such that he was known to draw animals in works by other artists, including George Barret the younger and George Fennell Robson.

This drawing dates from Hills's tour of Flanders and Holland in 1816. He published an illustrated account of his trip in ‘Sketches in Flanders and Holland with some account of a Tour through parts of these Countries shortly after the Battle of Waterloo in a Series of Letters to a Friend' (the series of prints illustrated in this book are also in The Courtauld Collection, inv. G.1990.WL.6110). Letter V begins ‘Fleugatt is a little village on the borders of the Soignes Forest, and about three miles from Brussels. There is nothing remarkable either in its beauties or history, but in passing through it to Waterloo, I had been tempted by a group of houses, and a windmill, to fancy that they might repay the trouble of a walk thither on the following day; and though these disappointed me on a second view, I experienced civilities there' (p.69). The village of Fleugatt no longer exists but it was located south-east of Brussels on the road to Waterloo.

Bruce Ingram; Thomas Agnew & Sons Ltd (no. 31776); Guy Peppiatt; where purchased by the Spooner Trust; Gift of the Spooner Trust, 2023