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Lot Essay
In 1887 Lavery returned to Ireland to paint the portrait of a relative, Mrs H. Morgan Byrne, at Larne on the Antrim coast of northern Ireland (see K. McConkey, John Lavery, A Painter and his World, 2010 (Atelier Books), p. 37). Mrs Byrne's portrait, shown at the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1888 (no. 357), remains unlocated. On this occasion he also executed a watercolour thought to represent Mrs Byrne, sitting on the beach, and a small oil painting of nearby Larne Harbour (The watercolour, erroneously entitled Lady Lavery Sketching, Island Maghee, (sic) Larne, was sold Adam's Dublin, 31 May 2006. The small oil painting of Larne Harbour was sold Christie's Belfast, 26 October 1990. A further picture of the harbour in the Port of Larne Authority collection has been extensively retouched, and may originally have been a work by Lavery).
On the north side of Belfast Lough, at the entrance to the port, Island Magee is not actually an island but an isthmus, and the present landscape shows the inland waters separating the mainland from the 'island' at high tide. Lavery was evidently charmed by the location, and a recently discovered letter indicates that he returned in August 1890, attempting unsuccessfully to encourage James Guthrie to join him. ‘The weather’, he declares, ‘has been simply lovely since I came here and I am just gasping to do some work’. On this occasion he seems to have stayed at Drumalis, the home of Sir Hugh Smiley.
It is possible that the soft, silver day depicted in the present canvas, results from this second occasion. Its delicate overlays of white pigment describe the complex movement of the tides as they fill the basin in front of him, while the muted greens of the fields suggest a terrain often cloaked in offshore mists. All is calm. Back in his Glasgow studio, he was embroiled in projects connected with the Glasgow International Exhibition and this summer retreat represented a rare moment of serenity. The present picture thus presents a striking anticipation by over twenty years of the cool landscapes of Achill and Killiney by Paul Henry as it touches momentarily, qualities of design destined to become iconic.
We are very grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for preparing this catalogue entry.
On the north side of Belfast Lough, at the entrance to the port, Island Magee is not actually an island but an isthmus, and the present landscape shows the inland waters separating the mainland from the 'island' at high tide. Lavery was evidently charmed by the location, and a recently discovered letter indicates that he returned in August 1890, attempting unsuccessfully to encourage James Guthrie to join him. ‘The weather’, he declares, ‘has been simply lovely since I came here and I am just gasping to do some work’. On this occasion he seems to have stayed at Drumalis, the home of Sir Hugh Smiley.
It is possible that the soft, silver day depicted in the present canvas, results from this second occasion. Its delicate overlays of white pigment describe the complex movement of the tides as they fill the basin in front of him, while the muted greens of the fields suggest a terrain often cloaked in offshore mists. All is calm. Back in his Glasgow studio, he was embroiled in projects connected with the Glasgow International Exhibition and this summer retreat represented a rare moment of serenity. The present picture thus presents a striking anticipation by over twenty years of the cool landscapes of Achill and Killiney by Paul Henry as it touches momentarily, qualities of design destined to become iconic.
We are very grateful to Professor Kenneth McConkey for preparing this catalogue entry.