Warwick Castle on the Avon, Antique Steel Engraving after P. Skelton, circa 1876

Warwick Castle is seen from the river in this steel engraving, its long battlemented range of buildings rising above the water on the left and two great towers lifting above the trees in the center. In the foreground a man poles a punt across the still river among water lilies, and a fallen branch reaches into the water at the lower left. On the right bank stand cottages with a smoking chimney, and tall trees fill both sides of the view, their leaves picked out against a pale, overcast sky. Bright patches of light on the water lead the eye from the punt toward the castle walls, while the dark mass of trees in the middle ground keeps the towers half hidden, as if glimpsed on a walk along the bank.

The plate is lettered "Warwick Castle." The castle stands on the River Avon in Warwick, in the English Midlands, and is one of the most complete medieval castles in England, with its great towers rising over the water. The drawing is credited to P. Skelton and the engraving to J. Outhwaite, and the imprint of Cassell, Petter & Galpin of London is printed beneath the title.

The print is a steel engraving in black ink on wove paper, uncolored. Outhwaite's work is notable for the reflections on the river and the airy, lace-like foliage of the trees at the left, which open a window onto the castle walls behind.

Gentle and well balanced, it would suit a bedroom, a reading corner or a hallway, framed with a light mat in pale wood or soft gold.

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