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Moray Firth, Scotland

Moray Firth, Scotland

Artist: James McBey (English, 1883 - 1959)

Date: 1914
Medium: ink on paper
Dimensions:
Framed: 18 3/4 x 23 1/8 x 1 in. (47.6 x 58.7 x 2.5 cm)
Mat: 17 5/8 x 23 1/8 in. (44.8 x 58.7 cm)
Sheet: 11 x 17 in. (27.9 x 43.2 cm)
Plate Mark: 9 x 14 1/2 in. (22.9 x 36.8 cm)
Credit Line:Museum Purchase
Object number: 1952.71.1
This work shows a scene along the Scottish coast in which McBey depicts a group of children sitting on the top of a cliff overlooking the little town and harbor. The smaller children are just happy in the sunshine, while others watch two boys whose momentary interest is entirely concentrated on keeping the kite aloft. Each holds the line of his lifting kites, with their wavy tails making a spiral rhythm of movement in the air, adding a subtle suggestion of life to the spacious and delicately conceived design. A cluster of fishing-boats gathers in the harbor, while a procession of others coming in from fishing carries the eye away towards the horizon.