WILLIAM SADLER II (1782 – 1839) View of...
WILLIAM SADLER II (1782 – 1839)
View of Westport House, County Mayo, With Croagh Patrick in the distance
Oil on canvas
74cm x 54cm
The view of Westport House represents a key depiction within Sadler’s known oeuvre that goes beyond the traditional landscapes of Dublin and its environs. By including the domestic architectural feature within this extensive landscape setting, he combines two distinct traditions of Irish painting in the late 18th and 19th centuries. While these landscapes often had an element of the sublime or romantic, with the artist’s taking considerable license with the compositional arrangement for aesthetic preference, in this instance there is a clear topographical link established.
The palladian mansion of Wesport, with it’s purest white stone facade, is set on the egde of Clew bay, with the majestic peak of Croagh Patrick rising in the distance. The original house would have been much smaller, it was built by Colonel John Browne, who was descent of the famous O’Malley clan. The east front of the house as it stands today was built by the Colonel’s grandson John 1st Earl of Altamont under the plans of the famous German architect Richard Cassels. Half a century later, the Earl’s son Peter added the south wing after a design by Thomas Ivory and his son completed the square with the work of James Wyatt.
One of the earliest known depictions of the house, is in work dating from 1761 by the artist George Moore which saw it set amongst its newly designated park land. While the house in Sadler’s work is a realtively small feature, by placing it in the centre distance, highlighted by the sun shining down the side of the mountain, it immediately becomes the focal point. The landscape around it is extensive suggesting the considerable wealth and power of its inhabitants, which at this stage would have been the family of the 2nd Marquess of Sligo.
Niamh Corcoran, September 2021
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WILLIAM SADLER II (1782 – 1839)
View of Westport House, County Mayo, With Croagh Patrick in the distance
Oil on canvas
74cm x 54cm
The view of Westport House represents a key depiction within Sadler’s known oeuvre that goes beyond the traditional landscapes of Dublin and its environs. By including the domestic architectural feature within this extensive landscape setting, he combines two distinct traditions of Irish painting in the late 18th and 19th centuries. While these landscapes often had an element of the sublime or romantic, with the artist’s taking considerable license with the compositional arrangement for aesthetic preference, in this instance there is a clear topographical link established.
The palladian mansion of Wesport, with it’s purest white stone facade, is set on the egde of Clew bay, with the majestic peak of Croagh Patrick rising in the distance. The original house would have been much smaller, it was built by Colonel John Browne, who was descent of the famous O’Malley clan. The east front of the house as it stands today was built by the Colonel’s grandson John 1st Earl of Altamont under the plans of the famous German architect Richard Cassels. Half a century later, the Earl’s son Peter added the south wing after a design by Thomas Ivory and his son completed the square with the work of James Wyatt.
One of the earliest known depictions of the house, is in work dating from 1761 by the artist George Moore which saw it set amongst its newly designated park land. While the house in Sadler’s work is a realtively small feature, by placing it in the centre distance, highlighted by the sun shining down the side of the mountain, it immediately becomes the focal point. The landscape around it is extensive suggesting the considerable wealth and power of its inhabitants, which at this stage would have been the family of the 2nd Marquess of Sligo.
Niamh Corcoran, September 2021
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
