Lot Essay
In 1860, Birket Foster started to build 'The Hill', his house near Witley, from which he made expeditions to record village life in rural Surrey. The present watercolour is an exceptional example of this genre, combining the artist's favourite themes of country children, a cottage garden, and his favourite leitmotif of a cat and a delft plate, all juxtaposed against a backdrop of warm, mellow Wealden brick.