Circle of Augustus John (1878-1961)  "Portrait of Lady Greg...

Hammer

€5,600

Circle of Augustus John (1878-1961) 

"Portrait of Lady Gregory," O.O.B., c 1920, 38cms x 30cms (15" x 12"). (1)

This small but impressive painting, dating from the period of the Celtic Revival, is traditionally held to be a portrait of Lady Gregory (1852-1932). Several factors support this identification, one being that the sitter is clearly in mourning, and Lady Gregory perpetually wore black in memory of her late husband William. In the National Portrait Gallery in London, there is a lithographed portrait of Lady Gregory, by Flora Lion, dating to 1913, that compares with the present work. Other features tie in with the identification, not least the frame of sawn timber, painted gold, with a fine moulding used as the inner slip. This style of framing is typical of the period around 1920, and is encountered in works by Lady Gregory's son Robert, George Russell "AE", and Edith Somerville. The portrait is finely executed, by an artist of high calibre, but the materials used seem crude. It is painted on a piece of board that, judging from the back, has been knocked about a bit before being pressed into service as a support. Although the face is painted with skill, with a tilt of the head suggesting a professional portraitist, there is an awkwardness about the outlining of the figure that is not characteristic of John Butler Yeats, one of the artists suggested as the author of the work. Also, the painting surface is rough, in a controlled way that suggests the artist preferred it so. The skin tones and eyes are superbly handled, with a confident and expressive use of paint. This is an interesting and authentic work of art, of the circle of the Yeats family and the Irish Literary Revival. However, while it fits into the oeuvre of artists of the Yeats circle, it is not necessarily by an Irish artist. Lady Gregory often welcomed visiting artists and poets as guests at her house, Coole Park, in Co. Galway, and this work may have been painted by an artist such as Augustus John, who stayed several times at Coole Park, and at Mount Vernon, the Gregory summer home in the Burren.

Dr. Peter Murray, 2023