Myles Birket Foster R.W.S. (1825-1899) - Landscape with ruined castle on a cliff

This impressive landscape composition with a ruined castle on a cliff to the right is expertly drawn by Foster. The tall poplar trees to the left suggest that this is a continental drawing perhaps depicting somewhere in France or Italy. The unusual use of pencil and chalk by Foster in this work help to create various levels of shading and add a unique depth to the picture. It has a long list of prestigous provenance with various labels attached to the back of the frame. The most recent owner was Roger Moss OBE who was a prolific collector of art and antiques. He spent many years in Hong Kong where he was the Fianance Direcor of the Mass Transit Railway Corporation. Moss purchased this work from the Galerie du Monde whilst in Hong Kong.
 
Medium: pencil and black chalk heightened with white on paper, signed l.l. 'B Foster', 8 x 17.5 cm, framed.
 
Provenance: J Davey & Sons; Sotheby's, 9th May 1956, lot 11; The Fine Art Society; The Roger Moss Collection (bought in Hong Kong with the dealers Galerie du Monde).
 
Condition report: generally very good. There small areas of craquelure at the bottom, but this may also just be pencil markings (the photos give a good indication of this). There appears to be a stamp mark in the bottom right hand corner, possibly added by Foster or a previous collector.