Walter Frederick Osborne, R.H.A. 1859-1903

Executed in 1901, the present work is a companion piece to Rush Village (sold in these rooms, 13th May 2005, lot 25) and incorporates the same impasto brushstrokes on a similarly sized canvas board that the artist would have painted directly sur le motif.  He was painting around Lusk and Rush in Co.Dublin at the end of the 19th and early 20th Century and would have been attracted by the quiet rural atmosphere of these picturesque towns and their low thatched cottages.  Although the location of the present work is unknown, its similarities to Rush Village strongly suggest that it was also painted there. 

Rush Village was given by the artist to his friend, the aritst Dermod O'Brien as a wedding present and although the inscription on the present work is indistinct, it is highly likely that it was also originally a gift to another friend.