VIEW OF THE WEST CONVENT, ON THE CLADDAGH, GALWAY, 1844
George Sharpe RHA (1802-1877)Whence purchased by Sir Charles Coote (1794-1864), ninth Baronet, Ballyfin House, Co. Laois;
Sold with the contents of Ballyfin House to the Patrician Brothers, 1920s;
Property of the Patrician Brothers College;
Sold as an unidentified painting, Ballyfin House contents sale, public auction conducted by Patrick O’Farrell, Portlaoise, 5 October 2002;
Private collection
But the line of tumbledown thatched cottages with smoking chimneys to the right is distinctly Irish. Directly in front of these is a narrow dock. The beach stretches in the distance, and behind a wall can be glimpsed the thatched roofs of the village.
As the painting is signed and dated 1844 by Sharpe it can thus be identified as the picture entitled View of the West Convent, on the Cladagh [sic], Galway, which he exhibited at the RHA that year. Sharpe had exhibited another picture entitled Claddagh Fishermen opening Mussels for Bait the previous year, and his Claddagh Fishermen, Galway was the Royal Irish Art Union Prize picture for 1843. So the present canvas and its companions are products of one or two visits which he made to Galway between circa 1842-44, perhaps making studies in situ, and completing the canvases in his studio in Dublin prior to exhibition.
From the late 1830s there had been a small community of artists working in the Claddagh.9 William Evans painted in Galway in 1836. Samuel Lover had painted Women of the Claddagh of Galway, selling fish in 1839, and Frederick William Burton’s An Aran Fisherman’s Drowned Child was set in the Claddagh. These pictures had been exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1839 and 1841 respectively. Three English artists, Frederick Goodall, Francis W. Topham and Alfred Fripp, were painting in the Claddagh in 1844, the year that Sharpe’s picture was exhibited. Other artists including Erskine Nicol, Washington George Brownlow and Walter Osborne, worked in the Claddagh in subsequent years, as did a number of British illustrators, John Leech among them (see fig. 1).
The Claddagh was an old fishing village of thatched cottages beside Galway harbour. It was separated from the walled town by the mouth of the River Corrib, and across the river was the market square where the women sold the fish. There had been a fishing settlement there since the fifth century.10 By the early nineteenth century there were about five hundred families there, the majority of them involved in the herring fishing industry. They were a distinct Irish-speaking community.
Julius Rodenberg, who travelled through Ireland in the late 1850s, published a vivid description in 1860:
”The men of the Claddagh go out to sea to fish, and lounge about, the ‘lazzaroni’ of the West … when they have returned from fishing. These cabin aristocrats do not trouble themselves with trade. The rotting boat, the crumbling cabin are their abode … [but] there are no braver men on the sea than the Claddagh fishers, when they set sail with their priestly blessing and consecrated salt and ashes aboard”.11
The painting does not yet display the realism of his later works. There is a certain naivety evident in the grouping of some of the figures. The figures on the left are reminiscent of some of Lover’s West of Ireland scenes, for example, The Kelp Gatherers, 1835. Sharpe may have taken a certain amount of artistic licence, placing different elements of the scene; the activity on the beach, the line of cottages, the church, and the white-washed house, close together.
There is attractive detail in the figures standing in the doorways of the cottages, and smoke rising from the chimneys. The ‘modern’ two-storeyed house is typical of Galway, and similar to those in the nearby fish market square. The sky, with its darkening cloud to the right, is painted with great skill.
The ecclesiastical building, with its straight, slate roof and distinctive bell-tower, is a convent of the Dominican order. There had been a church on this site since the 13th century, and a friary was built by the Dominicans in 1488. It became a priory in 1612. It became known as ‘St. Mary’s on this hill’.12 After a period of troubled history and destruction a new slated church was built close to the beach in 1800, as can be seen in Sharpe’s picture. This was replaced by a modern Dominican church, constructed in 1891. The old church with its bell tower can be seen in at least one contemporary illustration of the Claddagh (see fig. 2).
The canvas is signed and dated, lower right, ‘G. Sharpe, 1844’. Another signature of the artist, written in capital letters, has been discovered beneath the slip of the frame, at the lower edge of the canvas. The gilded frame is of interest and antiquity, dating from c.1620-40, ie. two centuries older than Sharpe’s painting.
The rediscovery of Sharpe’s painting is of significance for social and historical reasons: it is one of the very first oil paintings of the Claddagh. It shows a scene of tranquil West of Ireland life in the mid-nineteenth century, painted in 1844, the year before the Famine brought such devastation upon County Galway. It shows Sharpe’s interest in rural West of Ireland life. In the context of Sharpe’s career it is the earliest painting and the largest canvas by him presently known. For an artist more associated with studies of single figures, it includes many figures in the foreground and background. Finally, it is the only painting by Sharpe to come on the market in recent years.
Julian Campbell,
Crawford College of Art, Cork
- Auction Details
- T&Cs
- Bidding
Clause 1
(a) Each lot is put up subject to any reserve price imposed by the vendor
(b) Subject to sub-clause (a) of this clause, the highest bidder for each lot shall be the purchaser thereof
(c) If any dispute arises as to the highest bidder the auctioneer shall have absolute discretion to determine the dispute and may put up again and re-sell the lot in respect of which the dispute arises.
Clause 2
(a) The bidding and advances shall be regulated by and at the absolute discretion of the auctioneer and he shall have the right to refuse any bid or bids. NOTE: Where an agent bids, even on behalf of a disclosed client, the auctioneer nevertheless has the right at his discretion to refuse any such bid.
(b) The purchaser of each lot shall immediately on its sale, if required by the auctioneer, give him the name and address of the purchaser and pay to the auctioneer at his discretion the whole or part of the purchase money. If the purchaser of any lot fails to comply with any such requirement the auctioneer may put up again and re-sell the lot; if upon such re-sale a lower price is obtained than was obtained on the first sale the purchaser in default on the first sale shall make good the difference in price and expenses of re-sale which shall become a debt due from him.
(c) Where an agent purchases on behalf of an undisclosed client such agent shall be personally liable for payment of the purchase money to the auctioneer and for safe delivery of the lot to the said client.
Clause 3
(a) The auctioneer reserves the rights to bid on behalf of clients including vendors, but shall not be liable for errors or omissions in executing instructions to bid.
(b) The auctioneer reserves the rights, before or during a sale, to group together lots belonging to the same vendor, to split up and to withdraw any lot or lots at the auctioneer's absolute discretion and without giving any reason in any case.
(c) The auctioneer acts as agent only, and therefore shall not be liable for any default of the purchaser or vendor.
Clause 4
(a) Each lot shall be at the purchaser's risk from the fall of the hammer and shall be paid for in full before delivery and taken away at his expense within one day of the sale. The buyer will be responsible for all removal, storage and insurance charges in respect of any lot which has not been collected within one day of the date of sale.
(b) If any purchaser fails to pay in full for any lot within 21 days of the date of sale such lot may at any time thereafter at the auctioneer's discretion be put up for sale by auction again or sold privately; if upon such re-sale a lower price is obtained than was obtained on the first sale the purchaser in default on the first sale shall make good the difference in price and the expenses of re-sale which shall become debt due from him.
(c) Interest at 2 per cent per month and legal costs (if any) for recovery of monies due shall be payable by the purchaser on any overdue account.
Clause 5
(a) Each buyer, by making a bid, acknowledges that he has satisfied himself as to the physical condition, age and catalogue description of each lot (including but not restricted to whether the lot is damaged or has been repaired or restored).
(b) All lots are sold with all faults and imperfections and errors of description and the Auctioneer and its employees, servants or agents shall not be responsible for any error of description or for the condition or authenticity of any lot, save for Clause 5 (c) below. Written or verbal condition reports may be supplied by the Auctioneer on request but these are merely statements of opinion, and any error or omission in these reports may not be taken as grounds for a cancellation of sale or refund of any part of the purchase price or the cost of any repairs to the lot or lots reported on
(c) A purchaser shall be at liberty to reject any lot if he - (i) gives the auctioneer written notice of intention to question the genuineness of the lot within seven days from the date of sale; AND (ii) proves that the lot is a deliberate forgery and (iii) returns to the auctioneer within 20 days from the date of sale the lot in the same condition as it was at the time of sale; provided that the auctioneer may, at his discretion, on receiving a request in writing from the purchaser, extend for a reasonable period the time for return of the lot to enable it to be submitted to expertisation. NOTE: The onus of proving a lot to be a deliberate forgery is on the purchaser.
(d) Where a lot has been submitted to expertisation, all costs of such expertisation shall be paid by the person who retains the certificate of expertisation and item or items to which the certificate relates.
(e) Where the purchaser of a lot discharges the onus and acts in accordance with sub-clause (b) of this clause, the auctioneer shall rescind the sale and repay to the purchaser the purchase money paid by him in respect of the lot.
(f) No lot shall be rejected if, subsequent to the sale, it has been marked by an expert committee or treated by any other process unless the auctioneer's permission to subject the lot to such treatment has first been obtained in writing.
(g) Any lot listed as a "collection, range, portfolio etc." or stated to comprise or contain a collection or range of items which are not described shall be put up for sale not subject to rejection and shall be taken by the purchaser with all (if any) faults, lack of genuineness and errors of description and numbers of items in the lot, and the purchaser shall have no right to reject the lot; except that, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this sub-clause, where before a sale a person intending to bid at the sale gives notice in writing to, and satisfies the auctioneer that any such lot contains any item or items undescribed in the sale catalogue and that person specifically describes that item or those items in that notice, then that item or those items shall, as between the auctioneer and that person, to be taken to form part of the description of the lot.
Clause 6
The respective rights and obligations of the parties shall be governed and interpreted by Irish law, and the buyer hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish Courts.
Special Conditions
a) The buyer shall pay the Auctioneer a commission at the rate of 20% (Art sales) or 24% (Collectibles sales). The Buyer's Premium is added to the hammer price of all lots and is subject to VAT at the prevailing rate.
(b) The Auctioneer or its employees, servants or agents may, on request organise packing and shipping of lots purchased or may order on the buyer's behalf third parties to pack or ship purchases. Under no circumstances does the Auctioneer accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage howsoever occasioned in the course of such service.
(c) The buyer authorises the Auctioneer to use any photographs or illustrations of any lot purchased for any or all purposes as the Auctioneer may require. The placing of a bid will be taken as full agreement to all the above conditions.
WHYTE AND SONS AUCTIONEERS LIMITED, 2022
We hold two types of auction - TIMED and LIVE SALEROOM
1. TIMED AUCTIONS
WHAT IS A TIMED AUCTION?Timed auctions do not have an auctioneer calling the bids – there’s just a bidding time frame and whoever bids highest during the time frame wins. Each lot can be bid on for a defined time period. At the end of this period, the bidder who has submitted the highest bid wins the lot, provided the bid exceeds the reserve price. You tell us the most you’re willing to pay – and we’ll bid intelligently for you, only bidding enough for you to meet the reserve or stay in the lead. Don’t worry, your maximum bid is not disclosed, and is held in confidence on our bidding system.
WHEN ONLINE BIDDING STARTS - YOU CAN LEAVE BIDS online and your bid will start at one step above the previous bid or at the start price if no other bid. You will be notified by email if you get outbid before the auction starts.
ONCE THE AUCTION BEGINS TO FINISH, ON THE DATE AND TIME SPECIFIED, THE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS CEASE and you should follow the auction on-line to see how your bids are doing. Make sure you have logged in if you wish to bid.
WHEN THE AUCTION BEGINS TO FINISH ON THE DATE AND TIME SPECIFIED,THE BIDDING FOR EACH LOT REMAINS OPEN FOR 45 SECONDS at a start price determined by the reserve or bids already received. Each lot will be open and remain open for bidding until its end time is reached; the end time will be extended by 45 seconds if another bid is received. At the end time, if there are no further bids and the highest bid received equals or exceeds the reserve price the lot is sold to highest bidder.
The Buyers Premium for Art sales is 20% plus VAT ( 24.6% gross). The Buyers Premium for Collectibles sales is 24% plus VAT (29.52% gross). The Buyers Premium will be added to your winning bid amount. Your invoice will detail all the payment, collection and shipping particulars.
2. LIVE SALEROOM AUCTION:
If you can't attend the auction in the saleroom you can email or post or telephone bids to us, or you can book a telephone line to bid during the sale. Contact us on +353 16762888 or bids@whytes.ie
To bid on-line at a Live Saleroom Auction:
• Log in or register bid.whytes.ie
• Visit the online auction catalogue
• Find the lot number you are interested in.
· The current highest bid will be displayed
• The minimum bid required to beat the highest bid will also be shown.
· You can place your bid. The screen will show the new highest bid and will indicate if that bid is yours. Note: if a previous bidder has left a bid that equals yours the previous bidder will win the lot unless you outbid them. If the screen doesn’t confirm that your bid is winning you will need to bid again if you wish to buy the lot. Don’t worry -the system will not allow you to bid against yourself.
• The live auction will begin at the announced date and time and will be sold in lot number order by the auctioneer.
• Invoices will be issued to successful bidders on the next working day after the sale has ended.
BIDDING STEPS:
Up to €300 x€10
Up to €700 x €20
Up to €1,300 x €50
Up to €3,000 x €100
Up to €7,000 x €200
Up to €13,000 x €500
Up to €30,000 x €1,000
Up to €40,000 x €2,000
Up to €70,000 x €2,000
Up to €130,000 x €5,000
Up to €500,000 x €10,000
A FEW TIPS FOR ABSENTEE BIDDERS:
Bid the maximum price you would pay for the lot; we will try and secure the lot for you at the lowest possible price. For instance if you bid €2,000 on a lot and the highest other bid we receive is €1,200 you get it for €1,250. Most people tend to bid in round numbers, e.g. €500. It’s often a good idea to bid an odd number, e.g. €520, or €540 which will outbid an even number. Check the results the day after the sale: these are published on our website www.whytes.ie at about 10am on the day after the sale. Successful bidders are also notified of results by mail.
TIE BIDS: if two or more equal bids are received the lot will be sold to the first received.
The Buyers Premium for Art sales is 20% plus VAT ( 24.6% gross). The Buyers Premium for Collectibles sales is 24% plus VAT (29.52% gross). The Buyers Premium will be added to your winning bid amount. Your invoice will detail all the payment, collection and shipping particulars.