Painted in 1956, this work depicts one the landscapes most closely associated with Duncan Grant. Grant and Vanessa Bell moved to Charleston in Sussex in 1916, and the house and surrounding countryside became enduring subjects in his work. The pond appears in a number of Grant's important compositions including 'Bathers by the Pond' (c.1920-21) in the collection of Pallant House Gallery and 'The Barn at the Pond' (1925) in the collection of Aberdeen Archives, Gallery and Museums. Charleston occupied a unique position in Grant's life and the history of the Bloomsbury Group. It was both a home and a studio for Grant and Bell and became a gathering place for their circle. Here Grant looks across the pond at Charleston towards the trees and fields beyond, with Firle Beacon visible in the distance. Painted with a directness and and freedom characteristic of Grant's later landscapes, the work conveys his intimate familiarity with a place he had known for four decades.