Art and Architecture of Ireland: Volume 2: Painting 1600–1900

589 Pages·2014·24.121 MB·English

by  Nicola Figgis

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ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF IRELAND
IN FIVE VOLUMES

A R T A N D
A R C H I T E C T U R E
O F I R E L A N D
Andrew Carpenter, General Editor
Volume II / PAINTING / 1600–1900
Nicola Figgis, Editor
Maria Arnold, Nesta Butler, Editorial Assistants
Elizabeth Mayes, Text Editor
Published by the Royal Irish Academy in collaboration with
Yale University Press and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
DUBLIN, 2015
ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF IRELAND
First published in 2014 in print by Yale University Press for the Royal Irish Academy and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in
British Art Dublin, New Haven, London. Available from yalebooks.co.uk and yalepress.yale.edu
This electronic edition first published in 2015 by the Royal Irish Academy in collaboration with Yale University Press and the
Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art
Copyright © 2014, 2015 Royal Irish Academy
19 Dawson Street
Dublin 2
Ireland
www.ria.ie
The publisher acknowledges the generosity of the rights holders for permission to use the images reproduced. A list of
photographic credits is included in the backmatter. Every effort has been made to credit the photographers and sources of
illustrations in this volume; if there are any errors or omissions, please contact the Royal Irish Academy so that corrections can be
made to any subsequent edition.
978-1-908996-67-1AAI: Five Volume Set (pdf)
978-1-908996-62-6AAI Volume I: Medieval (pdf)
978-1-908996-63-3AAI Volume II: Painting (pdf)
978-1-908996-64-0AAI Volume III: Sculpture (pdf)
978-1-908996-65-7AAI Volume IV: Architecture (pdf)
978-1-908996-66-4AAI Volume V: Twentieth Century (pdf)
978-0-300-17924-8AAI: Five Volume Set (print)
978-0-300-17919-4AAI Volume I: Medieval (print)
978-0-300-17920-0AAI Volume II: Painting (print)
978-0-300-17921-7AAI Volume III: Sculpture (print)
978-0-300-17922-4AAI Volume IV: Architecture (print)
978-0-300-17923-1AAI Volume V: Twentieth Century (print)
All rights reserved. The material in this publication is protected by copyright law. Except as may be permitted by law, no part of
the material may be reproduced (including by storage in a retrieval system) or transmitted in any form or by any means; adapted;
rented or lent without the written permission of the copyright owners.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Designed by Ian Hunt
FRONTISPIECE:Richard Thomas Moynan, We Hope We Don’t Intrude(the Artist in his Studio in Harold’s Cross), (detail) 1888, oil
on canvas, National Gallery of Ireland [see 381]
PAGE X:Robert Fagan, Portrait of Margaret Simpson as Hibernia, c.1803, oil on canvas, 137.2 × 106.7 cm, private collection
ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF IRELAND
IN FIVE VOLUMES
Published (cid:67)(cid:90)(cid:1)the Royal Irish Academy (cid:74)(cid:79)(cid:1)(cid:68)(cid:80)(cid:77)(cid:77)(cid:66)(cid:67)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:66)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:80)(cid:79)(cid:1)(cid:88)(cid:74)(cid:85)(cid:73)(cid:1)(cid:58)(cid:66)(cid:77)(cid:70)(cid:1)
(cid:54)(cid:79)(cid:74)(cid:87)(cid:70)(cid:83)(cid:84)(cid:74)(cid:85)(cid:90)(cid:1)(cid:49)(cid:83)(cid:70)(cid:84)(cid:84)(cid:1)(cid:66)(cid:79)(cid:69)(cid:1)(cid:85)(cid:73)(cid:70)(cid:1)(cid:49)(cid:66)(cid:86)(cid:77)(cid:1)(cid:46)(cid:70)(cid:77)(cid:77)(cid:80)(cid:79)(cid:1)(cid:36)(cid:70)(cid:79)(cid:85)(cid:83)(cid:70)(cid:1)(cid:71)(cid:80)(cid:83)(cid:1)(cid:52)(cid:85)(cid:86)(cid:69)(cid:74)(cid:70)(cid:84)(cid:1)(cid:74)(cid:79)(cid:1)(cid:35)(cid:83)(cid:74)(cid:85)(cid:74)(cid:84)(cid:73)(cid:1)
(cid:34)(cid:83)(cid:85)
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The five volumes of Art and Architecture of Ireland provide a comprehensive, authoritative
and fully illustrated account of the art and architecture of Ireland from the early Middle
Ages to the late twentieth century. Each volume has its own expert editor or editorial
team and covers a specific area or chronological period. More than two-hundred-and-fifty
scholars, from all over the world and from many academic disciplines, have been invited to
contribute to the five volumes.
The research has been undertaken and prepared for publication under the auspices of
the Royal Irish Academy with support from private donors, particularly the Naughton
Foundation, the Irish government through the Department of Arts, Heritage and the
Gaeltacht, and the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art. The work, though it builds
on many fine scholarly works of the past, contains much new scholarship and is the most
comprehensive and ambitious undertaking of this kind ever attempted. It reflects our
current understanding of the contribution of Irish men and women to the visual arts and
the built environment, and enables anyone interested in Irish culture to gain new insights
into the strength, depth and variety of Ireland’s artistic and architectural heritage. 
c c
I. MEDIEVAL . 400– . 1600
Rachel Moss, Editor
II. PAINTING 1600–1900
Nicola Figgis, Editor
III. SCULPTURE 1600–2000
Paula Murphy, Editor
IV. ARCHITECTURE 1600–2000
Rolf Loeber, Hugh Campbell, Livia Hurley, John Montague, Ellen Rowley, Editors
V. TWENTIETH CENTURY
Catherine Marshall, Peter Murray, Editors
FOREWORD
As the Art and Architecture of Ireland (AAI) reaches publication, been the support of all members of the administrative, publica-
the Royal Irish Academy wishes to acknowledge those who tions and library staff at the Academy.
brought the idea of this major project to the Academy and to The executive board wishes especially to thank Anita Griffin,
express its gratitude and appreciation to the funders who made the project manager, for her professionalism, for her tireless
such an ambitious undertaking possible. devotion to the project and for her unremitting attention to
In the spring of 2007, two art historians from University every detail. The board also acknowledges the valuable contri-
College Dublin, Nicola Figgis and Paula Murphy, asked the bution made by Paddi Leinster at a significant time in the life of
Academy to consider supporting a project to update Walter the project.
Strickland’s celebrated A Dictionary of Irish Artists (1913). I, as The publication has been possible only because of the untir-
president, turned to one of the Academy’s members, Carmel ing work of the volume editors, Rachel Moss, Nicola Figgis,
Naughton, for advice and direction. We organized a series of Paula Murphy, Rolf Loeber, Hugh Campbell, Livia Hurley, John
meetings with the proposers from which emerged a proposal to Montague, Ellen Rowley, Catherine Marshall and Peter Murray.
publish a five-volume scholarly assessment of Irish art and Each has been ably supported by a team of scholars, whose
architecture from medieval to modern times. names are listed in the acknowledgements in the relevant vol -
In the ensuing months a comprehensive plan involving edit- ume, and by Jonathan Williams, who has acted as copy-editor
ors and advisory bodies was developed and agreed with the for all five volumes.
Academy’s council. The plan was put to the Naughton Trust and Finally, the Academy wishes to express its wholehearted
the Irish Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism (DAST), and appreciation to the community of art historians and scholars
funding agreed in late 2007. The project was given the green throughout Ireland and beyond whose support for the pro-
light officially in October 2008. ject – as members of volume advisory boards, as second readers
The Academy records its gratitude particularly to the or as contributors – made it possible. The publication is an
Naughton family for its generous financial support; to the enduring testament to the scholarship and commitment of this
Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (formerly community.
DAST) and particularly to ministers Seamus Brennan, Martin James Slevin
Cullen, Mary Hanafin, Jimmy Deenihan and Heather Chairman, AAI Executive Board
Humphreys, and officials Niall Ó Donnchú and Chris Flynn; to
the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art; to Yale
University Press and its commissioning editor, Sally Salvesen;
to the Irish Museum of Modern Art for having seconded
Catherine Marshall to the project; to Michael O’Mahony and
Colin Kavanagh for legal advice and to the many libraries, cul-
tural institutions and individuals for providing images.
The Academy wishes to thank University College Dublin
and the curator of Newman House, Ruth Ferguson, for provid-
ing accommodation in Newman House for the project team,
and to thank its School of Art History and Cultural Policy for its
exceptional support for the project.
The Academy records its gratitude to Andrew Carpenter,
Howard Clarke and Roger Stalley, members of the executive
board, for their diligent management of the project. The board
acknowledges the late Paddy Buckley for his wise counsel and
support, particularly in the early stages of the project, and the
support of Laura Mahoney and the administrative and library
staff at the Academy. The continuing encouragement given by
the succeeding presidents of the RIA, Nicholas Canny and Luke
Drury, was important in ensuring the project’s success, as has
vi
GENERAL EDITOR’S PREFACE
Though the five volumes of this project are closely linked with The Honorary Academic Editor of the RIA, Peter Harbison,
each other and, together, constitute a wide-ranging assessment has given me much helpful advice over the years for which I am
of the art and architecture of Ireland as seen at the beginning of very grateful.
the twenty-first century, they differ from each other in scope and The editors of these volumes have worked tirelessly at this
structure. The editor or editors of each volume, with the guid- project for the last five years, undertaking far more than is tradi-
ance of its advisory board, decided on its contents and scope as tionally required of scholars filling a position described as that
well as on its illustrations, bibliography and internal organiza- of ‘editor’. Each has written a considerable portion of the volume
tion. It was decided to end substantive coverage at the year 2000, with which they are associated – three-quarters of the text in one
but the relevant volumes contain material indicating how the art case, and substantial quantities in the other cases. Their own
or architecture of Ireland has been developing since that date. scholarship and extensive new research lie behind the many
Obviously, there are occasional overlaps between the vol- articles they themselves have written for the AAI. In addition,
umes, sometimes because an artist’s output straddled the year the editors have commissioned the contributions of other schol-
1900 – the terminal date for volume ii and the starting date for ars and managed all peer reviews as well as necessary correction
volume v – or because he or she worked in more than one and rewriting. Their scholarship inspired the volumes and their
medium. If there are several articles on an architect, artist or creative, editorial and research input has shaped each one.
topic, they are cross-indexed. Andrew Carpenter
vii
ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF IRELAND
MAIN BOARD
CHAIR
President of the RIA (Nicholas Canny 2008–11; Luke Drury 2011–14; Mary E. Daly 2014)
ATTENDING ON BEHALF OF THE RIA
Tom Brazil
Anne Crookshank
Kathleen James-Chakraborty
James McGuire
ATTENDING ON BEHALF OF THE NAUGHTON FOUNDATION
Carmel Naughton
ATTENDING ON BEHALF OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, HERITAGE AND THE GAELTACHT
Christopher Flynn
ATTENDING ON BEHALF OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
Helen Carey (Limerick City Gallery)
Fionnuala Croke (National Gallery of Ireland, 2010; Chester Beatty Library, 2012)
Barbara Dawson (Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane)
Desmond FitzGerald, Knight of Glin* (Irish Georgian Society, 2010)
David J. Griffin (Irish Architectural Archive)
Christina Kennedy (Irish Museum of Modern Art)
William Laffan (Irish Georgian Society)
Pippa Little (Limerick City Gallery, 2010–11)
Andrea Lydon (National Gallery of Ireland)
Hugh Maguire (Hunt Museum, Limerick)
Kim Mawhinney (National Museums, Northern Ireland)
Roisín McDonough (Arts Council of Northern Ireland)
Stephen McKenna (Royal Hibernian Academy, 2010)
Stephanie O’Callaghan (Arts Council of Ireland)
Danielle O’Donovan (Douglas Hyde Gallery)
Colette O’Flaherty (National Library of Ireland)
Raghnall Ó Floinn (National Museum of Ireland, 2011)
Gerry Wrixon (Crawford Art Gallery, Cork)
ADVISORY MEMBERS
Brian Allen (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2010–11)
Mark Hallett (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2012–13)