John Shinnors (b.1950) c. 1991 “Patrick Sarsfield Signing t...

Hammer

€10,000

John Shinnors (b.1950) c. 1991

“Patrick Sarsfield Signing the Treaty of Limerick,” oils on canvas, Signed lower left ‘John Shinnors’, 109cms x 84cms (43” x 33”). (1)

Provenance:
A relatively early work in Shinnors’ oeuvre, painted in or around 1991— the two hundredth anniversary of the Treaty of Limerick—this painting depicts a scene in the chequered history of both Ireland and the city of Limerick. Against a backdrop of King John’s Castle, with crowds assembled, banners flying, and lances piercing dark smoke-filled skies, Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan, and leader of the Irish forces, is about to sign the Treaty of Limerick. Surrounded by a circle of grim-faced victors, he is seated at a table. The signing took place in October 1691. Ostensibly designed to grant to Irish Catholics such rights as they had had prior to the conflict, the wording of the Treaty was in fact vague enough to allow a host of misinterpretations and heralded a century of repression of Catholics in Ireland. It did however permit followers of King James, known as ‘Jacobites’, to flee to the Continent; an exodus which has become known at the ‘Flight of the Wild Geese’. Holding a quill pen, Sarsfield, his head bent, is about to sign the document. With skilled use of paint, using strong contrasts of light and shade, and muted colours, Shinnors conveys a dramatic impression of the historic event. Sarsfield, the table, and the Treaty are highlighted, while the men around are depicted as dark, shadowy figures. Shinnors has even included some of the text, although the words visible are snippets, rather than an actual transcription from the text. Also, on the Treaty document he includes a little cartouche, with portraits of King James II and William of Orange.

Born in 1950 in Limerick, John Shinnors attended a Christian Brothers school in the city. In the late 1960’s, after a spell in London, he became a student at the Limerick School of Art, where he studied under Jack Donovan. Leaving the School in 1972, he forged his own individual style, and career, and over the ensuing years has achieved considerable success with his bold and confident paintings that combine elements of realism with abstraction.

More Information

Provenance: This painting came from Important Private Collection, Limerick City.
No rips, tears or repairs to the canvas.
Some minor scratches and discolouration to the frame.
Please see extra images attached.