On the cliff-tops, Mevagissey

Philip Douglas Maclagan was born in South China. In 1918 he attended St John's School of Art, and in 1920 was accepted by the Royal Academy Schools, where he was taught by Sir George Clausen, and Glyn Philpot, who he became lifelong friends with. In 1921 he exhibited at the R.A., which he was to frequently do, until 1941.

In 1929 he married a fellow student from the R.A. Schools, Dorothy Blake, and honeymooned at Mevagissey, where it is likely the present work was executed. The painting echoes the romanticism found in Cornish views by the Lamorna Artists - in particular Laura Knight and Sir Alfred Munnings.