Lot Essay
Orpen met the American, Vera Brewster when she married the Irish writer, Joseph Hone in 1911 and moved into the house next door to the Orpens. Over the next two years Orpen painted a series of portraits of her, the majority during the summer of 1912 at Howth.
Vera was undoubtedly Orpen's favourite model and Vivien St. George, the daughter of Orpen's long-term mistress, commented that 'were there an 'Orpen type' she'd be it'. Moreover, the Irish artistic community was captivated by her; Sean Keating remarked that 'We all loved her, She was a most beautiful woman. She had lovely eyes. I think he (Orpen) was half in love with her, too. He thought she was wasted on Joe Hone. Whenever we met I couldn't take my eyes off her', but she disappeared from the scene in 1913 when she moved to Dublin with her husband and started a family. Her son David later became President of the Royal Hibernian Gallery.
Bruce Arnold comments on the importance of the Vera Hone portraits, 'To some extent the pictures Orpen painted of her represent an almost perfect synthesis of his talents as an artist. This sensitive perception of character and expression which are the prerequisites of portraiture are combined with a lyrical and romantic approach which is highly imaginative, and seems to echo some of the best qualities in English portraiture. Through all his paintings of Vera Hone there runs a thread of enticement; Orpen invests his subject with a loveliness that appeals for reasons other than her beauty, which itself is great. That Orpen loved her is clear enough ... that the love was innocent is fairly certain, too; that it inspired his work to an enormous degree is self-evident in the canvases'.
Orpen' first portrait of Vera, 'The Chinese Shawl' was exhibited at the New English Art Club in 1912 and later purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. 'The Irish Volunteer' was purchased by his mistress, Mrs. St. George for 700 and 'The Blue Hat' which depicts Vera against the backdrop of Dublin Bay, was sold in these Rooms on 13 November 1986, lot 98 for 126,500
(See B. Arnold, Orpen Mirror to an Age, London, 1981, p.p.285-6)
Vera was undoubtedly Orpen's favourite model and Vivien St. George, the daughter of Orpen's long-term mistress, commented that 'were there an 'Orpen type' she'd be it'. Moreover, the Irish artistic community was captivated by her; Sean Keating remarked that 'We all loved her, She was a most beautiful woman. She had lovely eyes. I think he (Orpen) was half in love with her, too. He thought she was wasted on Joe Hone. Whenever we met I couldn't take my eyes off her', but she disappeared from the scene in 1913 when she moved to Dublin with her husband and started a family. Her son David later became President of the Royal Hibernian Gallery.
Bruce Arnold comments on the importance of the Vera Hone portraits, 'To some extent the pictures Orpen painted of her represent an almost perfect synthesis of his talents as an artist. This sensitive perception of character and expression which are the prerequisites of portraiture are combined with a lyrical and romantic approach which is highly imaginative, and seems to echo some of the best qualities in English portraiture. Through all his paintings of Vera Hone there runs a thread of enticement; Orpen invests his subject with a loveliness that appeals for reasons other than her beauty, which itself is great. That Orpen loved her is clear enough ... that the love was innocent is fairly certain, too; that it inspired his work to an enormous degree is self-evident in the canvases'.
Orpen' first portrait of Vera, 'The Chinese Shawl' was exhibited at the New English Art Club in 1912 and later purchased by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. 'The Irish Volunteer' was purchased by his mistress, Mrs. St. George for 700 and 'The Blue Hat' which depicts Vera against the backdrop of Dublin Bay, was sold in these Rooms on 13 November 1986, lot 98 for 126,500
(See B. Arnold, Orpen Mirror to an Age, London, 1981, p.p.285-6)