A dramatic watercolour by David Cox depicting a rainstorm over the North Wales moorland. This piece captures the atmospheric weather and rugged terrain near Bettws-y-Coed.

David Cox was a leading figure of the British watercolour school. He is particularly associated with the scenery of North Wales. This work depicts a sudden storm over the moorland near Bettws-y-Coed, a village where Cox spent many summers later in his career. The composition is dominated by a heavy, dark sky. Diagonal strokes of paint represent driving rain, which obscures the distant hills. In the foreground, a single animal stands against the elements. The ground is rendered with broad, expressive washes of brown and green. Cox often used a rough, textured paper known as Scotch paper. This surface allowed him to achieve a sense of movement and atmosphere through broken brushwork. Unlike the precise topographical drawings of earlier generations, this piece focuses on the immediate experience of weather and light. The colour palette is restricted to earthy tones and cool greys. A small patch of light in the lower right suggests a pool of water reflecting the sky. This technique creates a sense of depth despite the low visibility of the storm. The work is a characteristic example of Cox's late style, which moved away from detail toward a more gestural and atmospheric approach to nature.