Louis le Brocquy, H.R.H.A.

Taylor Galleries, Dublin, where purchased by the mother of the present owner and thence by descent

Dublin, Taylor Galleries, Louis le Brocquy, Tapestries, 9 November- 9 December 2000, with tour to Aubusson, Musée départemental de la tapisserie 

Taylor Galleries, Dublin, exh. cat., 2000, illustrated (n.p.) 

Not lined. Small metal hoops attached across the top for hanging purposes. Woven with the atelier mark in saffron wool, in the top left corner. Colours and weave visible on reverse due to not being lined. Colours slightly faded on front, for example the graded mustard/browns ground is not as yellow in tone on the front, and the cherub body colour is light rose/mauve hue on the front, and brighter pink on the reverse, and the wings are a darker ivory colour (as cleaner on reverse). Grey banded selvedge tucked under on left and right vertical sides. Very minor tension changes, otherwise very good structure. Cotton stitches visible on reverse around most of the outlines of main design, which is commensurate with the technique and serves to join the splits on the colour joins where not interlocked. The wool threads when at the end hang loose at intervals on the reverse and have not been woven into the design (and it is therefore not reversible). Colours evenly faded overall, otherwise in overall very good and stable condition, recently cleaned. Balanced colour and composition, and very versatile size.
"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."

The Táin tapestries of which Cúchulainn in Warp-Spasm forms a part began as a result of Thomas Kinsella’s 1969 translation of the epic, An Táin Bó Cúailnge, for which Louis le Brocquy was commissioned to create illustrations. Each illustration originated from a black brush drawing before the sequence’s success caused le Brocquy to create large-scale lithographs of the individual designs. An enduring relationship with the Aubusson Tapestry Ateliers in France later prompted their reincarnation in woven medium during the late nineties. This was a familiar medium for Le Brocquy, who made his first tapestry, Travellers, in 1948. The immediacy of the initial brush work in black ink was apt for the lively tale of Cúchulainn, the Celtic hero who undergoes an astonishing ríastrad or ‘warp-spasm’ in which he becomes an unrecognisable monster in order to avenge the youth of Ulster who are slain defending him. Suffice to say neither the immediacy nor intensity of le Brocquy’s ink work is lost in the tapestry series which retains a sense of pre-Christian Celtic heritage without being overly consumed by narrative. A psychological exploration of culture and the primal figurative form in movement thus remains a predominant concern for the artist in his work. In le Brocquy’s own words, the images ‘provide not graphic comment on the text but an extension of it’.[1]

[1] Le Broquy in Walker, D. Louis le Brocquy (1981).