Digby Cave – William Orpen | Irish Art Print

In the summer of 1908, William Orpen went to Margate. He painted the sea, the caves, the light on the Kent coast — and two women standing in the mouth of Digby Cave at Kingsgate Bay, the water behind them, the rock face framing them like a stage.

The subjects are Grace Orpen and Mabel Nicholson — wives of two painters who were close friends, caught in an unguarded moment by the sea. Orpen painted the scene twice. One version is held at the Mildura Arts Centre in Victoria, Australia; the other sold at Sotheby's London in 2011.

Sir William Orpen (1878-1931) was one of the most technically accomplished Irish painters of his generation — a portraitist of Edwardian society, an official war artist on the Western Front, and a painter whose reputation faded after his death and only began to recover in the 1980s. Works like this one show why the recovery was deserved. His work hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland.

Sizes & Format

• 30 × 40 cm / 12 × 16″
• 60 × 80 cm / 24 × 32″
• 75 × 100 cm / 30 × 40″
• Unframed in every size; framed in black, white or wood at 30 × 40 cm, 60 × 80 cm and 45 × 60 cm

Print & Frame Details

Archival matte paper, 250gsm (110lb), acid-free and FSC-certified — off-white, uncoated. Framed prints: solid oak or ash wood frame, 20mm thick, with shatterproof protective glazing. Ready to hang, hanging kit included. Unframed prints up to A4 ship flat; larger sizes ship rolled in a protective tube.

Free Worldwide Shipping

Framed prints are packed with protective corners and wrap, boxed with reinforced edges, and braced with internal supports for extra rigidity (max 3 frames per package). Every order ships free, made to order and delivered from the hub closest to you: Ireland 3–7 business days · UK 4–8 · USA 5–10 · Canada 6–12 · Australia 7–14.