Moulin Huet Bay, Guernsey, Antique Engraving after Birket Foster, circa 1876

About this sheet

A summer afternoon on the cliffs above Moulin Huet Bay. From a high, sandy track the view opens over the bay to a line of headlands and sharp rock stacks running out to sea, with a single sail and a few small boats on the water and a rock island standing just offshore. In the foreground a young woman in a bonnet, holding a staff, stands beside a seated boy among sun-bleached branches; a basket and a small dog lie nearby. A herd of cows grazes and wanders along the path at the right, while on the left a flock of sheep comes through a wooden gate, watched by a shepherd sitting on the bank. Billowing clouds fill the sky.

Moulin Huet Bay lies on the south coast of Guernsey in the Channel Islands, a stretch of granite cliffs and stacks that later drew Renoir to paint there. The lettering credits Birket Foster as the painter and A. Willmore as the engraver, and the title is engraved in copperplate script with the imprint Cassell, Petter and Galpin, the London publisher, below. Foster, much loved for his idyllic English country scenes, brings the same pastoral charm here to an island view.

This is a steel engraving of fine quality. The engraver contrasts the bright, open sea and sky with the densely worked foliage on either side, and the animals and figures are drawn with lively detail.

A cheerful seaside landscape for a living room, a guest bedroom or a holiday home, best in a light wood or gilt frame with a cream mat.

Condition: Light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. Printed image clean.

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.