The maxim “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” is often used to highlight how people can be misled into thinking they are more expert than they really are.
And while this is undoubtedly true, building up your knowledge on certain subjects can be a joyful experience. For example, learning about the history of art can give buyers greater insight into the period, context and relative value of potential purchases.
With a preponderance of landscape paintings from the 18th, 19th, 20th and even 21st centuries at many auctions, a little knowledge of the styles that dominated each era adds to the enjoyment of viewing and selecting pieces.
The 16th-century German painter Albrecht Altdorfer is credited as being the first landscape painter in Europe. Before that landscapes merely provided the backdrop for paintings of people. And while the 17th century was more about topographical views by engravers and map-makers, the early 18th century saw owners of country house demesnes commissioning paintings of their gardens, parklands, hunting scenes, local beauty spots and family portraits in landscape settings.
During this time, Irish landscape painters were influenced by Dutch and Flemish landscape style, as well as the English, French and Italian art that enthralled many of their patrons, returning from travels throughout Europe.
In the 18th century, when Dublin was the second city of the British empire, painters travelled to Ireland to paint. Artists including Thomas Roberts (1748-1777) – who is regarded as one of the first Irish landscape painters of the 18th century – painted outdoors in the landscape. At that time, the lakes of Killarney represented the ultimate destination for those seeking a wild Irish landscape.
In the catalogue for Untitled Landscape, a touring art exhibition organised by the Department of Finance and the Office of Public Works in 2018-2019, Dr Louise Kelly writes about how during the 19th century, the patronage of landscape painting in Ireland significantly stalled due to war and famine, and some artists began to depict scenes of everyday life in a picturesque style.
According to Kelly, the foundation of the new Irish State in 1922 “fermented the idea of a new Irish identity that could be expressed in landscape painting”. During this time, artists looked to the Irish countryside, especially the west of Ireland, for inspiration. The more idealised landscapes from earlier centuries gave way to realistic images.
By the 1940s artists in Ireland were responding to the modernist movement and painting landscapes in various styles including cubism, expressionism, surrealism and abstractionism. Towards the end of the 20th century, some artists made political statements through their depictions of urban or rural decay or human suffering in outdoor settings. Growing concern about the climate and biodiversity crises has also fuelled artistic expression in various styles in the past few decades. Yet, alongside these more fervent creative impulses are artists who continue to express the beauty of the landscape in their work either through realistic renditions of particular places or with more abstract imagery that leaves space for the viewer to add their own interpretation.
Potential buyers can view the Chatsworth Summer Art Sale at Fonsie Mealy auction rooms on Chatsworth Street, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, on July 10th.
With more than 300 lots, and estimates starting at just €40, the auctioneer’s annual art sale contains a wide range of landscape paintings from the 18th century up to the 21st century. George Mealy, whose grandfather, also George Mealy, established the auction rooms in 1934, says the annual art and sculpture sale caters for every type of collector. “We’ve got pieces that will suit people starting off their collection, and those keen to diversify to more abstract pieces,” says Mealy.
He selects an 18th-century romantic landscape painting by Waterford-based artist Thomas Sautelle Roberts (€5,000-€7,000) as one of the highlights. Also from that era is a scene of a mother and child washing clothes in a woodland setting by English painter George Morland (€180-€220). The Mill Pond by 20th-century Limerick-born artist Fergus O’Ryan (€800-€1,200) should attract some interest, as will Edith Somerville’s Bourget en Lac, Aix-Les-Bains (€350-€420).
And for those who can’t afford a piece by Paul Henry, one of Ireland’s most-sought-after 20th-century landscape painters, how about buying a framed poster of one of his illustrations commissioned by the London Midland and Scottish Travel Company?
Mealy’s has a choice of three: one of Lough Derg; another of Sheephaven, Co Donegal (€250-€320 each); and another of Mount Errigal (€250-€350), with the banner “Donegal, Ireland for Holidays”.
Meanwhile, a painting by Scottish-born Grace Henry (wife of Paul Henry), Achill Island (€8,000-€14,000); and Gathering Turf by Belfast-born artist James Humbert Craig (€5,000-€8,000), are among the eclectic collection of Irish, European and Oriental art in the Sheppard’s house contents sale at St Austin’s, Coolgreaney, Gorey, Co Wexford, on July 16th and 17th. The property, which recently sold at auction for more than €1.66 million, was the home of Alan and Anne Deacon, who lived in the Far East for much of their lives.
What did it sell for?
18ct white gold and diamond bracelet
Estimate £18,000 – £20,000
Hammer price £19,500
Auction house Ross’s
Portrait of Henry Whitworth by William Orpen
Estimate £20,000-£30,000 (€23,600-€35,500)
Hammer price £25,600
Auction house Bonhams
Early-20th-century aquamarine and diamond earrings
Estimate €4,000-€5,000
Hammer price €7,000
Auction house Adam’s
Emerald and diamond bracelet
Estimate €800-€1,200
Hammer price €4,400
Auction house Adam’s
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