Farquharson combined a successful career as a professional painter with his inherited role as Laird of Finzean in Aberdeenshire. His beautiful wooded estate far up the Dee Valley inspired many of the snowy landscapes for which he is renowned – mostly painted from the shelter of a moveable hut on wheels. Large editions of reproductive prints earned him wide popularity and the nickname of ‘frozen mutton Farquharson’ by allusion to the sheep which populate many of his pictures. With its exquisite treatment of the textures of snow and iridescent shadows, this is the only known Farquharson with a garden motif.