Alfred Downing Fripp, English, 1822-1895
Title: Interior of a Fisherman Cottage, Galway
Date: 1845
Medium: Watercolour on paper
Dimensions:
48 x 61.5 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 2015
Object Number: NGI.2015.4
DescriptionDespite the sombre theme this is a lively work, drawn with verve and confidence. The basket on the floor, commonly known as a sciob, would have been filled with cooked potatoes at mealtimes and the family would gather around and eaten directly from it. The lack of a pot hanging on the fire, the fact that the dresser is poorly stocked and the sciob itself is empty symbolises the family's poverty and hunger and pre-empts the Great Famine of 1847. A similar but smaller study dates 1844 is in the National Library of Ireland's collection.

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