Title: Anthony Herbert; Erquy Brittany Seaside Villa on Clifftop with Rocky Shoreline and Coastal Path, 1985 Description: Title: French Street Scene with Bar La Coquille Normandy Style Townhouse Watercolour By Tony Herbert (1927-2024) Medium: Watercolor on paper, unframed Size: 11.25 inches (height) x 15 inches (width) Condition: good, will some signs on wear consistent with aging Provenance: From a large private collection of this artists work, Oxford, England Description: This charming watercolour by Tony Herbert (1927–2024) captures a quiet corner of a traditional French town, featuring stone-fronted houses and a local bar named La Coquille. The architecture suggests a Normandy influence, with its muted stonework, shuttered windows, and steeply pitched slate roofs – hallmarks of northern French townscapes. A cluster of flowering shrubs adds life and colour to the scene, while the moody grey sky overhead evokes the changeable weather of coastal France. The sign Bar La Coquille (‘The Shell Bar’) hints at the town’s likely proximity to the sea, or perhaps its place on a pilgrimage route, as “coquille” is also a reference to the scallop shell symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Whether intended or coincidental, Herbert’s sensitivity to place allows the viewer to feel immersed in a moment of everyday quietude, where timeless charm and soft atmosphere reign. Painted in 1985, as noted verso ("St. Val André '85"), the work is likely set in Pléneuf-Val-André – a seaside commune in Brittany known for its historic villas, seafront promenades, and relaxed coastal culture. Herbert’s brushwork remains loose but deliberate, using transparent layers to depict the textures of stone and shadow with confident restraint. This piece is a beautiful example of Tony Herbert’s mid-career travel work and would appeal to collectors of French scenes, architectural watercolours, or atmospheric European village studies.
Reserve: $490.00
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