CHATSWORTH SUMMER FINE ART SALE May 28th & 29th 2024

110 IMPERFECTIONS NOT STATED Fonsie Mealy’s Est. 1934 “View of Criccieth Castle in Wales, with Fishing boats c. 1820,” O.O.C., approx. 89cms x 145cms (35” x 57”), in associated large gilt frame. Although the castle in this painting resembles Conway (or Conwy) Castle, a building that has inspired many artists over the centuries, including John Varley, Turner, Peter de Wint and Thomas Girtin, the topography suggests it is more likely to be Criccieth Castle (Cadw), a similar but smaller fortification built on a headland overlooking Cardigan Bay. Criccieth was also a favourite subject for artists, including Turner. The painting is based on accurate observation of detail, including the traditional Welsh costume worn by the women, and the setting, which is an improvised fish market on the beach, with trawlers pulled up on the sand. The trawlers are traditional gaff- rigged sailing boats. The style of the painting is early to mid- nineteenth century and is in the style of George Morland (1763- 1804) an artist who specialized in rollicking but well-observed inn and country market scenes, and who also painted several engaging views of smugglers and country folk by the seashore. Peter Murray 2024 €1000 - €1500 “Portrait of a Boy in Kilt with Fishing Rod c. 1840,”O.O.C., 140cms x 99cms (55” x 39”). Dressed in a tailored brown suit, with jacket, white shirt, red cravat, waistcoat and kilt, a boy in his early teens prepares to go fishing. The boy stands before a high wooded bank, holding a fishing rod. To the left can be seen an extensive landscape, with mountains overlooking a river. Although the scene depicted has not been identified, and may be generic, it is can be read as a Scottish scene. In his right hand, the boy has the fishing hook held between thumb and forefinger. The kilt suggests a Scottish provenance, an idea reinforced by another related portrait, probably of the same boy, that shows him with a ‘Balmoral Bonnet’. The attribution of these works to a ‘follower of Sir Henry Raeburn’ is tentative, but this is an impressive portrait by an accomplished hand. The Scottish portraitist Henry Raeburn is noted for his paintings of adults and children, many engaged in outdoor pursuits such as hunting, archery and fishing. His portrait of Lieutenant Colonel Bryce McMurdo, for example, painted around 1810, shows the sitter holding a rod, preparing to go fishing. While this painting, with its sense of realism, has all the attributes of a Raeburn portrait, it was probably painted by a follower of Raeburn in the 1840’s. Born in Scotland in 1756, Henry Raeburn was originally apprenticed to a James Gilliland of Edinburgh, a jeweller and goldsmith, where he began to specialise in painting miniature portraits. Although he travelled with his wife to Rome, where he studied works by Renaissance artists, and met with Gavin Hamilton and Batoni, Raeburn returned to Edinburgh in 1787 and set up a portrait painter. A member of the Royal Scottish Academy, he was highly regarded and had a successful practice. A year before his death in 1823, he was knighted by King George IV and appointed “King’s Limner” in Scotland. Peter Murray 2024 Provenance: The Burke Family, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. €2000 - €3000 916. George Morland (1763-1804) (Style of) 917. Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823) (Follower of)