3-056-552 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

'View of the island of Bou Shala with the bending pillars in its neighbourhood', 1772. A party of men examining strange geological formations of pentagonal-shaped pillars of basalt. These were probably formed by lava being forced out through fissures and cooling into these unusual shapes, like the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. 'Bou Shala' (or Boushaler') is a misspelling of 'Buachaille', which is a small islet or rocky outcrop just east of the Isle of Staffa in Scotland known for its dramatic basalt columns and Fingal's Cave.