A fallen tree with exposed roots

This powerful drawing may be dated to 1808-12. Ward had used a similar motif in his earlier oil, Bulls Fighting, St Donat's Castle (1803, Victoria and Albert Museum), a picture that emulates Rubens's Château de Steen (or View of Het Steen), now in the National Gallery. This serves as a reminder that when Ward sketched out of doors he often had the example of the Old Masters, and Rubens in particular, at the back of his mind, and selected his material accordingly.