After the First World War, acclaimed British war artist Paul Nash began spending his summers in Dymchurch, on the Kent coast. Describing the coastal village as “a delightful place with much inspiring material for work,” Nash began to produce some of his most celebrated work there. Executed in 1920, The Sluice is part of a group of three lithographic prints that focus on the relationship between Dymchurch and the sea. The present lot depicts the large seawall which had been designed to protect Romney Marsh from flooding, alongside one of the area’s Martello towers, which were built at the start of the 19th century to avoid a Napoleonic invasion. A remarkable example of Paul Nash’s extensive body of work and striking printmaking abilities, The Sluice confirms Nash’s rank as one of the most important British artists of the 20th century.