Appointed leader of the Oxford Music Room, he also worked as a drawing master, producing hundreds of historical, architectural and topographical sketches of the city and its surrounds.
His work – admired by John Constable among others – features many of the medieval Oxford buildings which were destroyed following the passing of the 1771 Mileways Act.
This large 12in x 2ft 6in (30 x 76cm) watercolour over pencil sketch, offered for sale on June 4-5 by Charterhouse in Sherborne, is a typical Malchair ‘on the spot’ panorama formed by joining together two sheets of paper.
It is titled and dated in the artist’s hand A Distant View of Oxford from the Abingdon Road at the distance of a Mile and three quarters just above South Hingley at the entrance of the Upper Lane leading to Bagley Wood, July 20 1789.
Bearing an old label verso for the venerable London art dealership Colnaghi, it was estimated at just £100-200 but found a buyer at a hammer price of £4200.
