Nathaniel Hone the Younger, Irish, 1831-1917
Title: The Cliffs of Moher, County Clare; Four Cows (on verso)
Date: c.1890
Medium: Watercolour with white highlights on paper
Graphite on verso
Dimensions:
12.6 x 21.8 cm
Credit Line: Bequeathed, Mrs Hone, The Artist's Widow, 1919 (Accessioned 1951)
Object Number: NGI.3374
DescriptionNathaniel Hone is regarded as Ireland's first great naturalist painter. He is often credited with introducing French ideas into Irish art. He trained in Paris with Thomas Couture (1815-1879), and on completion of his studies he settled in Barbizon, absorbing the work of Corot and Millet. Returning to Ireland in the early 1870s, Hone became Professor of Painting at the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1894. His small 'pure landscapes' skilfully capture the sea's dramatic expanse, the majestic grandeur of the rocks or the distinctive forms of cliffs. Swift, loose dashes of paint against a background wash can perfectly describe the weathered aspect of rocks. Touches of white bodycolour add texture throughout and highlight breaking waves. A study such as this, usually unsigned, provided inspiration for Hone's oil paintings.