William Ashford, P.R.H.A. Birmingham circa 1746-1824 Dublin

Lady Wavertree;
Her sale, London, Christie's, February 1, 1952, lot 14 (as by Ibbetson, titled On the Greta) to W. Sabin for 95 guineas;
With Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., New York;
From whom purchased by the present owners on September 17, 1957.

Possibly Society of Artists in Ireland, 1780, no. 9 (View in the Passage to the Upper Lake).

E. Waterhouse, The Dictionary of British 18th Century Painters, Woodbridge 1981, reproduced p. 191 (as by J. C. Ibbetson and titled On the Greta);
A. Crookshank, "A Life Devoted to Landscape Painting: William Ashford," in Irish Arts Review Yearbook, 1995, vol. 11, p. 125, no. 12 (as being signed and dated 1779);
A. Crookshank and the Knight of Glin., Ireland's Painters: 1600- 1940, New Haven 2002, p. 152, reproduced fig. 189.

This beautiful and rare view of the Killarney Lakes in Co. Kerry depicts a view towards the Upper Lake with the Old Weir Bridge.  This region, one of the most famously scenic areas in Ireland, has long been a popular tourist destination.  Here Ashford depicts an elegant group of 18^th century tourists stepping out of a boat after a day of sightseeing.

Ashford, who was to become one of Ireland’s leading landscape painters, was born in Birmingham, England.  He first arrived in Ireland at the age of eighteen when he took a position as clerk with the Ordnance Office in Dublin.  He worked there for twenty years and traveled widely throughout the country.  His earliest paintings, dating from 1767, are flower still lifes and it was not until 1772 that he exhibited his first landscapes.  He became best known for his country house views of the seats of Irish landowners and developed an impressive roster of wealthy and well connected patrons.  Rarer in his oeuvre are the more romantic views of the Irish landscape depicting mountain or lake scenery, such as the present painting.

 This painting once belonged to Lady Wavertree, née Sophie Sheridan (see Provenance below), a direct descendent  of the playright Richard Brinsley Sheridan.  Her husband was Col. William Hall Walker, later Lord Wavertree, the well known owner, breeder and trainer of racehorses.  He owned the Tully Stud in Kildare which he presented to the British Government in 1916 for the purpose of founding a British National Stud.