Kynance Rocks, Cornwall, Antique Steel Engraving after John Mogford, circa 1876

About this sheet

A dramatic coastal view of the rocks at Kynance on the Cornish coast. Great slabs and stacks of rock rise from a breaking sea, their faces cut by long diagonal seams, while a pale sun breaks through banked cloud low over the horizon and throws a path of light across the water. Seabirds wheel above the largest stack.

In the foreground a lone figure bends in the shallow surf to roll a barrel ashore, a small human note against the scale of the cliffs, and nets or wreckage lie on the rocks at right. The sheet is a study in contrasts: the soft, luminous sky set against the dense, almost black masses of stone.

Kynance Cove lies on the Lizard peninsula, the southernmost part of mainland Britain, and its serpentine rock formations have drawn painters and travelers since the nineteenth century. The plate is lettered "Kynance Rocks, Cornwall." and credits the painter J. Mogford (John Mogford, a Victorian specialist in coastal scenes) and the engraver S. Bradshaw. The imprint is that of Cassell, Petter & Galpin of London, the publishing house that issued it.

This is a steel engraving, and the medium suits the subject: the engraver has built the surf from fine, curling lines and the rock faces from close, controlled hatching, so the sheet holds both the movement of the water and the weight of the cliffs. The title is engraved in a flowing script beneath the image, with the credits in small capitals at either side.

Hung in a study or a seaside house, this view rewards a simple dark frame and a generous pale mat that lets the bright sky do its work.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.