This watercolour by George Barret, Jr. (c. 1767-1842) was created early in his career, and likely depicts Totland bay in the Isle of Wight. The coastal scene is shown through a window. In the middle distance are a small group of animals, across the bay the buildings are visible, ships with their rigging carefully depicted shown at sea. Barret precisely observes the view in front of him, breaking it up with strips of blank paper to represent the wood of the window frame. 

Barret was a celebrated and prolific landscape artist, and was one of the early members of the ‘Society of Painters in Water Colours’ – now known as the Royal Watercolour Society.