The River Avon looking upriver from the Gloucestershire side; the river is at high-tide and there are several small boats in sail; in the foreground, two male figures wearing hats, one appearing to be a boy, break rocks with hammers, while another figure busies himself in a small moored boat nearby; to the right, two other figures are seen walking away; there is a building on the left, probably linked to a quarry.

Francis Danby ARA (1793 – 1861) was an Irish painter of the Romantic era. His imaginative, dramatic landscapes were comparable to those of John Martin. Danby initially developed his imaginative style while he was the central figure in a group of artists who have come to be known as the Bristol School.