The Lion, the Lizard and the Stags

Brett spent several summers touring the British coasts in his yacht. The sketches he made on these trips were then worked into finished paintings during the winter months and were subsequently exhibited at the Royal Academy the following year. One of his finest seascapes, Pearly Summer, was sold from the Forbes Collection, Christie's London, 19 February 2003, lot 22. Some of the Pre-Raphaelite technique evident in Val d'Osta, of 1859, the work that established Brett's reputation, can be seen in the foreground of the present picture.