Casting Her Off

This 1927 marine etching by the British printmaker Arthur Briscoe measures 9 7/8 x 15 7/8 inches, hand signed in inked and editioned as 58/75. Briscoe studied at the Slade Art School and the Academy Julian in Paris and then spent the rest of his time sailing, becoming one of the most prominent British marine artists of the 20th century. He owned his own three ton cutter which he used to sail around the Essex coast. Also crewing on a Polish ship, he sketched every aspect of life on the boat. Most of Briscoe's etchings show sailing ships and the men who sailed them. His beautifully etched images present an invaluable historical record of the workings of the last great commercial vessels.