Bamborough Castle from the Northeast, with Holy Island in the Distance, Northumberland

This evocative view encapsulates the type of finished landscape watercolor that made Varley's reputation. Picturesque details in the foreground include a family of fisherfolk walking towards their small vessel on a broad sandy shore, with the scene overshadowed by the impressive fortress of Bamborough (or Bamburgh) Castle, Northumberland. Rising over the North Sea, this landmark is accentuated by an open patch of blue sky, and its form echoed in miniature by the tiny silhouette of Holy Island in the right distance. Varley may have exhibited this drawing at the Old Water-Colour Society in 1828. Medium: watercolor and graphite with scratching out.
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