Bent Cliff, West Coast of Ireland, Antique Engraving after H. Fenn, circa 1876

A jagged sea stack rises almost the full height of this upright steel engraving, its splintered pinnacles leaning together like the blade of a broken knife. Hundreds of seabirds circle the rock and settle on its ledges, mist gathers around its base, and a lower outcrop crowned with a white crest of rock juts out from the right. Beyond, a calm gray sea runs to a far horizon, where a distant cluster of stacks stands off the coast and a squall trails curtains of rain from a heavy sky. A dark ledge in the lower right foreground places the viewer on a clifftop looking out.

The plate is lettered "The Bent Cliff" and "(West Coast of Ireland)". It was drawn by H. Fenn, the English-born illustrator Harry Fenn, whose signature can be seen in the lower left of the image, and engraved by R. Hinshelwood. The publisher's imprint of Cassell, Petter & Galpin of London is printed below the title. Fenn specialized in exactly this kind of wild coastal and mountain scenery, and the composition shows his feeling for height and weather.

The technique is steel engraving, printed in black on wove paper and left uncolored. Hinshelwood uses deep, close-set lines to model the fissured faces of the stack, lighter stippled tones for the mist, and fine ruled work for the open sea, so the rock seems to stand out from the air around it. The title is engraved in a flowing script.

The tall format makes it a natural choice for a narrow wall beside a window or doorway, and it pairs well with other views of the Irish or Scottish coast.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.