WHYTE'S EXCEPTIONAL IRISH ART MONDAY 7 DECEMBER 2020

EXCEPTIONAL IRISH ART ·7 DECEMBER 2020 AT 6PM 159 111 Richard Rothwell RHA (1800-1868) MOTHER AND CHILD IN LANDSCAPE watercolour signed lower right; with title, artist name and description in another hand on reverse; also with ‘ex. coll. PJ Murphy’ on Dawson Gallery framing label on reverse 11.75 by 18in. (29.8 by 45.7cm) Frame Size: 25 by 31.75in. (63.5 by 80.6cm) Condition: This work appears to be in excellent condition. Provenance: Collection of a Mr PJ Murphy; His sale, Dublin, 1960s; Whence acquired by the present owner Richard Rothwell is the only major Irish painter of his time to have been born in Athlone. He studied at the Dublin Society’s school between 1814-1820 where he won a silver medal for his painting and exhibited with the RHA between 1826 and 1829. He was elected to the Academy at the age of 24. Later he moved to London and was studio assistant to the leading portrait painter of the age, Thomas Lawrence. Following Lawrence’s death in 1830 Rothwell was seen as a possible successor and finished many incomplete paintings by his master. He should have taken on Lawrence’s practice since in style they were similar, but Rothwell took another course. Rothwell travelled to Italy between 1833 and 1834 and there he studied the language and ‘history’ paintings. Examples of work from this time can be found in the collection of the Ulster Museum [BELUM.U152]. His return to England saw a steep decline in patronage. He left for Italy again in 1868 and died in Rome of a fever that year. Among his most famous sitters were authors Gerald Griffin and Mary Shelly. The latter was exhibited at the RA in 1840 (no. 459) as Mrs. Shelly, authoress of “Frankenstein”. The National Gallery of Ireland holds several works by Rothwell including a very fine self-portrait [NGI.265], a mother and child scene in oil - The Young Mother’s Pastime, 1844 [NGI. 1102] - thought to depict the artist’s wife and first child, and a female nude, the nymph, Calisto [NGI.506], which he considered his masterpiece. €1,500-€2,000 (£1,330-£1,780 approx.) Click here for more images and to bid on this lot111