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James Arthur O'Connor
WICKLOW LANDSCAPE WITH PICNIC / LAST OF THE CLAN (A PAIR)
Lot 54
Price Realised:
€7,500
Estimate:
€5,000 - €7,000
James Arthur O'Connor, 1792-1841
WICKLOW LANDSCAPE WITH PICNIC / LAST OF THE CLAN (A PAIR) Oil on panel, 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" (24.1 x 19cm) (each panel), one signed and dated 1831.
Provenance: Private Collection, Dublin
Exhibited: Irish Exh...
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Lot 54
James Arthur O'Connor
WICKLOW LANDSCAPE WITH PICNIC / LAST OF THE CLAN (A PAIR)
Lot 54
James Arthur O'Connor
WICKLOW LANDSCAPE WITH PICNIC / LAST OF THE CLAN (A PAIR)
Estimate:
€5,000 - €7,000
James Arthur O'Connor, 1792-1841
WICKLOW LANDSCAPE WITH PICNIC / LAST OF THE CLAN (A PAIR) Oil on panel, 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" (24.1 x 19cm) (each panel), one signed and dated 1831.
Provenance: Private Collection, Dublin
Exhibited: Irish Exhibition in London, 1888 (remnants of labels verso).
In the 1830s O'Connor's style became grander and more romantic and some of his best-known works date from this decade, notably the Eagle's Rock, Killarney (1831, private collection) and Thunderstorm: The Frightened Wagoner (1832, NGI). The present pair of small landscapes are delightful examples of exactly this moment in O'Connor's artistic progression. O'Connor's change of style and mood was only partial and he continued to produce neatly painted, serene landscapes until the end of his career. It is unclear what influences contributed to the broadening of his style and darkening of tone. While his correspondence shows that he was acutely aware of the examples of Constable and Turner it is also tempting to hypothesize continental influences. This pair of landscapes partake of both tendencies in O'Connor's art at this date. While in both the landscape is as wild, even sublime, as in the Eagle's Rock, the mood, of one at least, is fundamentally different. Gothic romance and existential philosophising about the place of man in an indifferent universe is replaced by a happy scene of picnicking. A female figure in red sits beside the spread she has prepared while her companion ventures perhaps, a little too closely, towards the torrent of the waterfall. This happy scene provides a marked contrast to the solitary figure of an armed man dressed in tartan and wearing a kilt and looking over the precipice. Here O'Connor deploys the trope of the 'last of the clan' to create an image of Romanic isolation much more in keeping with the mood of the Eagle's Nest
William Laffan, October 2023
WICKLOW LANDSCAPE WITH PICNIC / LAST OF THE CLAN (A PAIR) Oil on panel, 9 1/2" x 7 1/2" (24.1 x 19cm) (each panel), one signed and dated 1831.
Provenance: Private Collection, Dublin
Exhibited: Irish Exhibition in London, 1888 (remnants of labels verso).
In the 1830s O'Connor's style became grander and more romantic and some of his best-known works date from this decade, notably the Eagle's Rock, Killarney (1831, private collection) and Thunderstorm: The Frightened Wagoner (1832, NGI). The present pair of small landscapes are delightful examples of exactly this moment in O'Connor's artistic progression. O'Connor's change of style and mood was only partial and he continued to produce neatly painted, serene landscapes until the end of his career. It is unclear what influences contributed to the broadening of his style and darkening of tone. While his correspondence shows that he was acutely aware of the examples of Constable and Turner it is also tempting to hypothesize continental influences. This pair of landscapes partake of both tendencies in O'Connor's art at this date. While in both the landscape is as wild, even sublime, as in the Eagle's Rock, the mood, of one at least, is fundamentally different. Gothic romance and existential philosophising about the place of man in an indifferent universe is replaced by a happy scene of picnicking. A female figure in red sits beside the spread she has prepared while her companion ventures perhaps, a little too closely, towards the torrent of the waterfall. This happy scene provides a marked contrast to the solitary figure of an armed man dressed in tartan and wearing a kilt and looking over the precipice. Here O'Connor deploys the trope of the 'last of the clan' to create an image of Romanic isolation much more in keeping with the mood of the Eagle's Nest
William Laffan, October 2023
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All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
PLEASE BID EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
In order to allow rival bidders the opportunity to respond to a late bid the following extensions will apply:
IF A BID IS RECEIVED WITHIN THE FINAL 45 SECONDS OF THE COUNTDOWN THE CLOCK WILL RESET TO 60 SECONDS.
At any point you can leave a maximum bid, representing the highest price you are prepared to pay for a particular lot. Bidding only advances when there is competition from a rival bidder. In that case the system bids on your behalf, only up to the maximum if required. All bids are relayed to you be email, along with notification if you have been outbid.
All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
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