19th Century Irish or British School "Old Testament Prophet...

Estimate

€500 - €700

19th Century Irish or British School

"Old Testament Prophet, c. 1875-85,"  O.O.C.,
88cms high x 77.5cms wide (34 1/2" x 26 1/2"). (1)

Bears fragmentary exhibition label verso,
“Was . . by . . No. of ticket . .
Ormond  -
Stewart - President
 [Tu?]cker - Hon Sec” 

Against a dark background, with hands clasped and wearing Biblical robes, a bearded grey-haired man is depicted half-length, his right arm leaning on a rock or ledge.  Although untitled, the painting is likely to be an imagined portrait of an Old Testament Prophet, probably an assigned task for a student at art school. The sitter, possibly a professional life model, is depicted looking upwards, with a grave expression. However, because of the painting’s accomplished Realist style, the ‘prophet’ could well be equally at home in Dublin’s inner city, as in the Sinai desert. Given its Irish provenance, the painting, which dates probably from around 1880, may be a diploma work for the Metropolitan School of Art, the Crawford School in Cork, or for the schools of the Royal Hibernian Academy. It is well-painted, and could be an early work by an artist such as Harry Scully, Henry Thaddeus Jones, Sarah Purser, or perhaps William Orpen himself. 
A fragmentary label on the frame indicates that the painting was at one point included in a group exhibition; this was likely in Dublin, Cork or Belfast.
Dr. Peter Murray, 2024