ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS HICKEY (1741-1824) Portrait of Mrs Moor...

Hammer

€1,600

ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS HICKEY (1741-1824) Portrait of Mrs Moore of Barne, Lady Barne, half-length in lace collared dress, with elaborate feathered hat, before a landscape with trees Oil on canvas, 75 x 62cm Framed applied with plaque 'Mrs Moore Barne - Born 1741 - Died 1783 A group portrait of Stephen, first Earl and Helen, Countess of Mountcashel with their four children is attributed to the renowned portrait and landscape painter, Thomas Hickey. The scene is referenced and reproduced in The Painters of Ireland c. 1660-1920, a seminal illustrated history of Irish painting. An individual portrait of Henrietta Moore of Barne, cousin to the Mountcashel family, has also been attributed to Hickey. A later portrait of Henrietta painted by John Astley can be found in the same book as Hickey’s portrait of the Mountcashels, cementing this extended family’s historical role as patrons of important Irish artists. Hickey’s rendition captures Henrietta in her youth, whilst Astley’s depicts her as a grown woman. Astley also separately painted her husband’s portrait, Richard Moore of Barne. The two portraits of Henrietta draw focus to the attire of the sitter, reflecting her knowledge and pursuit of contemporary styles and trends. The reference to Astley’s portrait of Henrietta and to Hickey’s portrait of the Mountcashels in this seminal account of prolific Irish painters, together with Hickey’s earlier rendition of Henrietta’s portrait, underscores the significance of the Irish aristocracy in participating in and sustaining a web of patronage that supported and shaped the trajectory of Irish art throughout this period.