Harry Clarke RHA (1889-1931) Design for St. Maculind Window...
Hammer
€19,000
Harry Clarke RHA (1889-1931) Design for St. Maculind Window, St. Maculind's Church, Lusk, Co. Dublin (1923) Pencil, watercolour, bodycolour and inks on paper, 45.5 x 4.3cm (18 x 1¾'') Signed and dated 1923
Provenance: The artist's studio; with David Clarke; collection of Donald Dean; with Gorry Gallery, Dublin.
Exhibited: Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, 1925, cat.no.28; Dublin, Douglas Hyde Gallery, TCD, 1979, cat.no.179
Literature: Thomas McGreevy, 'The New Parish Church at Lusk', ' The Irish Builder & Engineer' 21 March 1925, p.230; 'Irish Statesman', 18 April 1925, p.178 & 17 July 1926, p.522; Nicola Gordon Bowe, 'Harry Clarke', Douglas Hyde Gallery, 1979, no.179; Nicola Gordon Bowe, 'The Life and Work of Harry Clarke', Irish Academic Press, Dublin 1978, p.172, 177, 179 & 226.
Harry Clarke always made a point of visiting the churches where his windows would be installed, both to observe the building's architecture, note the orientation of the proposed window, its distance from ground level, etc., and to meet the client to discuss the subject, iconography and treatment, etc. For St Maculind's church, (1) Lusk it seems clear that there were two clients, the church's architect, John Joseph Robinson, and the parish priest, Canon John Fennelly. (2) Robinson, a favourite with the Catholic hierarchy, designed a delightful Hiberno-Romanesque for Lusk drawing inspiration from Monasterboice, Cashel and Roscrea, and among the windows in St Maculind's he decided to include one that was notably tall and slim, approximately 18 feet by 21 inches. A former parishioner, Catherine Dempsey, who had died in 1919, had left a generous bequest of £237 for stained glass, more than sufficient to cover the cost for a fine memorial window to her and her late husband.
After initial discussions Clarke prepared a precise design at a scale of 1 inch to the foot for the stained glass window which he would have presented to the client(s) for approval before proceeding. He made it in December 1923 which meant that Clarke may have found himself in an unusual situation as the church's construction was still underway – the foundation stone had been laid in November 1922 and the church was not dedicated until January 1925 – so to some degree Clarke may have had to imagine what the finished church would look like. As Clarke was also a highly skilled illustrator his small-scale designs for windows are also beautiful works of art in their own right. They inform us of what the artist's intentions were, and it is always interesting to compare the initial design with the window as executed, and in this instance some changes were made. This design also has the benefit of the original notations on the reverse which is helpful as the subject of the window, St Maculind, is not well known.
The window is essentially divided into three figurative sections, separated by mellow diamond-patterned quarries that allow light in and act as a foil to the deep, rich colours that Clarke favoured. In the middle is a full length depiction of St Maculind, staring impassively straight ahead. The inscription on the reverse informs us that it shows 'St Maculind holding the new church and standing upon the head of the monster from which he delivered the Scots.' Some adjustments have been made in the actual window (red halo instead of green, and the inclusion of a pallium on the saint's vestment). Also, the head of the crozier differs but this may relate to a restoration intervention made some decades ago. In the window as executed, Clarke has developed the sketched version of the monster so that it appears as a writhing two-headed creature with scrawny necks and vulture-like appearance. Floating above the saint's head in the quarries, though absent in his design, is a gold bell, a symbol of the call for the faithful to worship.
The scene at the top section of the window depicts, according to the notation on the reverse, Angels planning the cemetery at Lusk. In Clarke's design there are six angels and in the window as executed only five, and he has given one a navigation compass and another an unfurled map. On close inspection of the window a few tiny crosses have been introduced to mark burial sites. Arguably the most striking section of the window is the scene depicted at the base, and of course for visitors to the church it is nearest to eye level so was inevitably the part of the window that would receive greatest attention. This time St Maculind is no longer impassive and detached, but looking somewhat lost and overwhelmed, surrounded by a closely-packed group. The notation on the reverse states that it depicts St Maculind curing the blind, the dumb and the sick. Prominent among them in Clarke's design is a kneeling monk in grey-brown habit with his cowl over his head. It is difficult to discern his expression but his general demeanour could suggest a certain sinister quality. In Clarke's window as executed he has dispensed with the monk, though whether this was the artist's decision or was perhaps requested by Robinson or Canon Fennelly we have no way of knowing. The other figures in the design, kneeling and standing, are sketched in without too much detail. In the actual window we see a disparate group of lepers, ghoulish figures, the pious, the destitute, the deformed, and two pretty young girls added into the mix. Unmistakably among the group is a self-portrait of Harry Clarke appearing intense and haunted.
Dr David Caron, August 2026
1 There are several variants of the saint's name in use. The one that is inscribed on the reverse of Clarke's design is Maculind.
2 Although TCD has an almost complete set of the outgoing correspondence from the Clarke Studios, unfortunately the correspondence covering the period 28/2/1922 to 12/1/2024 is missing, but we can see from letters sent later in 1924 that both parish priest and architect were involved in the commission.
Hammer
€19,000
Harry Clarke RHA (1889-1931) Design for St. Maculind Window, St. Maculind's Church, Lusk, Co. Dublin (1923) Pencil, watercolour, bodycolour and inks on paper, 45.5 x 4.3cm (18 x 1¾'') Signed and dated 1923
Provenance: The artist's studio; with David Clarke; collection of Donald Dean; with Gorry Gallery, Dublin.
Exhibited: Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, 1925, cat.no.28; Dublin, Douglas Hyde Gallery, TCD, 1979, cat.no.179
Literature: Thomas McGreevy, 'The New Parish Church at Lusk', ' The Irish Builder & Engineer' 21 March 1925, p.230; 'Irish Statesman', 18 April 1925, p.178 & 17 July 1926, p.522; Nicola Gordon Bowe, 'Harry Clarke', Douglas Hyde Gallery, 1979, no.179; Nicola Gordon Bowe, 'The Life and Work of Harry Clarke', Irish Academic Press, Dublin 1978, p.172, 177, 179 & 226.
Harry Clarke always made a point of visiting the churches where his windows would be installed, both to observe the building's architecture, note the orientation of the proposed window, its distance from ground level, etc., and to meet the client to discuss the subject, iconography and treatment, etc. For St Maculind's church, (1) Lusk it seems clear that there were two clients, the church's architect, John Joseph Robinson, and the parish priest, Canon John Fennelly. (2) Robinson, a favourite with the Catholic hierarchy, designed a delightful Hiberno-Romanesque for Lusk drawing inspiration from Monasterboice, Cashel and Roscrea, and among the windows in St Maculind's he decided to include one that was notably tall and slim, approximately 18 feet by 21 inches. A former parishioner, Catherine Dempsey, who had died in 1919, had left a generous bequest of £237 for stained glass, more than sufficient to cover the cost for a fine memorial window to her and her late husband.
After initial discussions Clarke prepared a precise design at a scale of 1 inch to the foot for the stained glass window which he would have presented to the client(s) for approval before proceeding. He made it in December 1923 which meant that Clarke may have found himself in an unusual situation as the church's construction was still underway – the foundation stone had been laid in November 1922 and the church was not dedicated until January 1925 – so to some degree Clarke may have had to imagine what the finished church would look like. As Clarke was also a highly skilled illustrator his small-scale designs for windows are also beautiful works of art in their own right. They inform us of what the artist's intentions were, and it is always interesting to compare the initial design with the window as executed, and in this instance some changes were made. This design also has the benefit of the original notations on the reverse which is helpful as the subject of the window, St Maculind, is not well known.
The window is essentially divided into three figurative sections, separated by mellow diamond-patterned quarries that allow light in and act as a foil to the deep, rich colours that Clarke favoured. In the middle is a full length depiction of St Maculind, staring impassively straight ahead. The inscription on the reverse informs us that it shows 'St Maculind holding the new church and standing upon the head of the monster from which he delivered the Scots.' Some adjustments have been made in the actual window (red halo instead of green, and the inclusion of a pallium on the saint's vestment). Also, the head of the crozier differs but this may relate to a restoration intervention made some decades ago. In the window as executed, Clarke has developed the sketched version of the monster so that it appears as a writhing two-headed creature with scrawny necks and vulture-like appearance. Floating above the saint's head in the quarries, though absent in his design, is a gold bell, a symbol of the call for the faithful to worship.
The scene at the top section of the window depicts, according to the notation on the reverse, Angels planning the cemetery at Lusk. In Clarke's design there are six angels and in the window as executed only five, and he has given one a navigation compass and another an unfurled map. On close inspection of the window a few tiny crosses have been introduced to mark burial sites. Arguably the most striking section of the window is the scene depicted at the base, and of course for visitors to the church it is nearest to eye level so was inevitably the part of the window that would receive greatest attention. This time St Maculind is no longer impassive and detached, but looking somewhat lost and overwhelmed, surrounded by a closely-packed group. The notation on the reverse states that it depicts St Maculind curing the blind, the dumb and the sick. Prominent among them in Clarke's design is a kneeling monk in grey-brown habit with his cowl over his head. It is difficult to discern his expression but his general demeanour could suggest a certain sinister quality. In Clarke's window as executed he has dispensed with the monk, though whether this was the artist's decision or was perhaps requested by Robinson or Canon Fennelly we have no way of knowing. The other figures in the design, kneeling and standing, are sketched in without too much detail. In the actual window we see a disparate group of lepers, ghoulish figures, the pious, the destitute, the deformed, and two pretty young girls added into the mix. Unmistakably among the group is a self-portrait of Harry Clarke appearing intense and haunted.
Dr David Caron, August 2026
1 There are several variants of the saint's name in use. The one that is inscribed on the reverse of Clarke's design is Maculind.
2 Although TCD has an almost complete set of the outgoing correspondence from the Clarke Studios, unfortunately the correspondence covering the period 28/2/1922 to 12/1/2024 is missing, but we can see from letters sent later in 1924 that both parish priest and architect were involved in the commission.
