"River Landing" Murray River – Mannum)
Watercolour
31x30cm
Signed Lower Left, Dated 1917
Prov: Private Collection Adelaide
Catalogue Reference verso No. 16 "River Landing" 1917
$12,000-15,000
Painted in 1917, this work can be understood within Hans Heysen’s extended engagement with the River Murray, particularly in the region surrounding Mannum, one of the river’s most active inland ports during the early twentieth century. At this time, Mannum functioned as a vital hub for river trade, where paddle steamers, cargo and agricultural goods intersected with overland transport, prior to the widespread development of bridges and modern ferry systems.
The composition records a working landing point along the riverbank, where figures, horses and a loaded cart gather in preparation for the movement of goods. Such scenes were central to life along the Murray during this period, reflecting a transport network that relied on coordinated exchange between river vessels and land-based haulage. Heysen’s slightly elevated viewpoint allows the activity to be observed with clarity, integrating the figures within the broader structure of the landscape rather than isolating them as narrative elements.
