William Mulready, Irish, 1786-1863
Title: The Toy-seller
Date: 1857-1863
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
112 x 142 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 1891
Object Number: NGI.387
DescriptionThis painting was among the last works undertaken by Mulready, and was unfinished at his death. Though at least two other versions of the picture exist, its origins and the specific nature of its subject remain unclear. The young child’s alarm, his guardian’s concern, and the rather emotionless persistence of the pedlar lend the painting a rather unsettling tone. the subject may simply have been conceived to appeal to a Victorian audience attuned to Empire and fascinated by what they perceived as exotic. More practically, it provided Mulready with an opportunity to demonstrate his technical virtuosity. He manages a variety of flesh tones, for example, with exceptional skill, and demonstrates outstanding draughtsmanship, particularly in the sophisticated rendering of the figures’ hands. The seemingly incongruous woodland setting and rural background also allowed Mulready to show his abilities as a landscape painter.
Despite the fact that Mulready worked slowly and laboriously, his paintings possess a remarkable freshness. this is attributable largely to the richness of his palette and lightness of touch. Having moved to London with his family as a young boy, Mulready excelled as a student at the Royal Academy School and established himself in due course as a consummate exponent of various genres.
March 2016
Despite the fact that Mulready worked slowly and laboriously, his paintings possess a remarkable freshness. this is attributable largely to the richness of his palette and lightness of touch. Having moved to London with his family as a young boy, Mulready excelled as a student at the Royal Academy School and established himself in due course as a consummate exponent of various genres.
March 2016
ProvenanceChristie's, 28-30 April 1864, Executors' sale of Mulready's property, lot 506; bought by Agnew for Charles P. Matthews; purchased, Christie's, 6 June 1891, Charles P. Matthews sale, lot 94
Exhibition HistoryRoyal Academy of Arts, London, 1862
A Catalogue of the Pictures, Drawings, Sketches etc. of the late William Mulready, Esq., Science and Art Department, South Kensington Museum, London, 1864
Bicentenary Exhibition 1768-1968, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1968
William Mulready: 1786-1863, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1 July - 12 October 1986; National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin; Ulster Museum, Belfast, Autumn/Winter 1986-1987
Black Victorians: Black People in British Art 1800-1900, Manchester City Art Gallery, 1 October 2005 - 6 January 2006; Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 28 January - 1 April 2006
A Catalogue of the Pictures, Drawings, Sketches etc. of the late William Mulready, Esq., Science and Art Department, South Kensington Museum, London, 1864
Bicentenary Exhibition 1768-1968, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1968
William Mulready: 1786-1863, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1 July - 12 October 1986; National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin; Ulster Museum, Belfast, Autumn/Winter 1986-1987
Black Victorians: Black People in British Art 1800-1900, Manchester City Art Gallery, 1 October 2005 - 6 January 2006; Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 28 January - 1 April 2006
Label TextLeft unfinished at the artist’s death, this enigmatic painting typifies Mulready’s virtuosity in modelling figures, managing colour and capturing human expression. It also exemplifies the artist’s unusually keen eye for detail. The figure of the toyseller would have represented an exotic presence to many among Mulready’s Victorian audience. In 1792, Mulready had moved to London, where he became a highly successful book illustrator and painter.