WHYTE'S IRISH & INTERNATIONAL ART 6 JUNE 2022 AT 6PM

130 98 Rory Breslin (b.1963) THE MAY MASK bronze; (no. 2 from an edition of 3) signed and numbered on ear 35 by 16in. (88.9 by 40.6cm) Dimensions of base: 9 by 9 by 3.5in. The Clew Bay Series chronicles and celebrates the emergence of a selection of native flora and fauna as they appear by month in the Mayo bay area. Rhythmically framing the countenance of a native to the area, the bronze is rich and dense, a mimetic and uplifting tribute to the beauty and tenacity of the local environment. The youthful female face is fine and determined. Her deep eyes intonate a resolute and spirited character. She gently blows Zephyr-like, a warmth indicative of the coming of Bealtaine and of summer. The head is crowned by a tiara of the stamen of the Plantain or Slánlus plant with its inflorescence above it. Framing the eyes are orchid petals and on either side of the cheeks are the leaves of Hart’s Tongue, an ancient fern that Dioscorides the Greek physician said was ‘good against the stinging or biting of serpents’. Knitted through the Plantain and running either side of the mask from the crown to the earring discs below representing the sun and the moon, are a dense arrangement of Foxgloves. Below the chin, the elusive Marsh Cinquefoil flower buds are about to unfurl while at the top of the work off centre and with an abundance of energy, the swallow bears down on us from above. €5,000-€7,000 (£4,270-£5,980 approx.) Click here for more images and to bid on this lot98