Sir William Orpen, R.W.S., N.E.A.C., R.A., R.H.A.

Mrs Whitney, 1909;
Samuel E Thompson, Belfast;
His sale, Kennedy Wolfenden & Co Ltd, Belfast, 15 May 1984, lot 80;
Pyms Gallery, London

London, White City, Franco-British Exhibition, Irish Village : Ballymaclinton Irish Art Gallery, 1908, no.29, illustrated in catalogue;
Dublin, Royal Hibernian Academy, 80th Exhibition, 1909, no.16;
Belfast, Belfast Museum and Art Gallery, Pictures from Ulster Homes, 10th May - 15th July 1961, no.157;
London, Pyms Gallery, Impressions and Realities, 1985, no.18;
London, Pyms Gallery, Orpen and The Edwardian Era, 1987, no.26.

Original canvas. There are some areas of surface craquelure to the sitter's clothes and scattered to the background and some fine lines to mark the central stretch bar. There is some minor surface dirt otherwise in good overall condition. Under ultraviolet light, there are some spots of retouching by the upper and left edges, some infilling to the aforementioned areas of craquelure to the sitter's clothes, a small line by the sitter's right eye and some further minor spots scattered in the background. Held in a plaster gilt frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Around 1908 Orpen painted a number of dashing half-length female portraits which clearly revealed the influence of Spanish art. The cool blacks, greys and indigoes of Goya's Comtesse de Carpio (Marquise de la Solanna) (Musée du Louvre) spring to mind when considering The Shower. Orpen admired the Spanish master's ability to 'render marvellously the ethereal charm of a Spanish beauty of artistic lineage' (Sir William Orpen ed., The Outline of Art, London n.d., p. 127). This line of development in Orpen's painting began with The Spanish Dancer, 1907, one of the first purchases of Orpen's patron, Mrs. St. George. It showed the model holding her hat in her right hand, in a pose which was to become characteristic in later years. The painter explored aspects of the abstract arrangement, such as the flourish of feathers and the dark billowing cloudscape, in the portraits of Gardenia St. George and Grace Orpen. He had, therefore, perfected its ingredients before painting The Shower and he was able to proceed with speed and confidence. Few works by Orpen display such racey paintwork as in the modelling of the face in The Shower, and only a sensitive student of Spanish art would establish the chest contour of  the figure with a brilliant red tie. Orpen used his wife Grace as the model for The Shower. It was selected along with Young Ireland, 1907 (private collection), to represent the painter at the little exhibition organised by Hugh Lane for the model village of Ballymaclinton at the Franco-British Exhibition held at Shepherd's Bush in 1908. The figure pose was reworked with great finesse in An Aran Islander of 1909 (private collection), in this instance using one of his Dublin students, Margaret Crilley (later Clarke), as the model.

This work belongs to a remarkable group of portaits of Grace painted between 1907and 1909, in which she wears a variety of outdoor clothes, hats and long-sleeved gloves, and is shown either wearing or holding a shawl (Grace Orpen - In Dublin Bay, 1909, private collection). Most  have plain dark backgrounds or stormy cumulus clouds silhouetting the figure. This group overlaps with the still-lifes and connects Orpen to William Nicholson. Between 1907-1908 their families were particularly close, sharing holidays in Margate, and The Shower amongst others, probably dates from one of these. Nicholson loved theatrical dress and had an extensive collection of clothing accessories, and Orpen availed himself of some of these hats and gloves for the Grace portraits. However the blue-grey and white patterned shawl, one of the most important elements in the present work was a particular favourite. Not only does it appear The Lady in Grey and In Dublin Bay, but also it can be seen in Still-Life with Buddha and Blanc-de-Chine Figure, (c.1906-1908), Still-Life featuring Rodin Bronze (c.1907), The Glass Globe, (1908, all Mildura Arts Centre, Australia), and forms the tablecloth in Still-Life with Chinese Porcelain Figure . It seems appropriate that these two works should have been part of the same collection since they demonstrate the cohesion of Orpen's art in two different genres.

The Orpen Research Project.