Garret Morphy
, Irish, c.1650-1716
Title
Portrait of William, 4th Viscount Molyneux of Maryborough (c.1655-1717)Datec.1700
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
76 x 63 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1976
Object numberNGI.4151
DescriptionGarret Morphy painted several portraits of members of the English Roman Catholic Molyneux family. The sitter here is William, youngest son of the 3rd Viscount Molyneux. In 1688 he was appointed Collector of Customs at Chester by James II but was later dismissed by the Protestant William III. The likelihood that this portrait was commissioned to mark William’s succession as 4th Viscount in 1700 is supported by the sitter’s apparent age and the fact that the wig he wears is in a style fashionable at that particular time. Morphy was born in Yorkshire to an Irish father and English mother, and during his career worked extensively in both England and Ireland. His patrons and social circles were largely Jacobite, though later in his career he painted important English administrators and military leaders in Ireland. In this portrait, Morphy demonstrates typical skill in differentiating between textures, from the lustrous metal of the sitter’s armour to the fabric of his elaborately tied, gold-edged cravat and frothy french-style wig. The loose brushwork evident in the depiction of the curls is typical of the artist.
March 2016
ProvenanceBy descent through Frances O'Neill to Rose Wogan, whose daughter, Frances, married John Talbot of Malahide; purchased, The Hon. Rose Talbot, Malahide Castle, Dublin, 1976Exhibition HistoryIrish Portraits 1660-1680, National Portrait Gallery, London; Ulster Museum, Belfast, 1969-1970
Label TextMorphy painted several portraits of members of the English Roman Catholic Molyneux family. In 1688, William, 4th Viscount, was appointed Collector of Customs at Chester by James II, but was later dismissed by the Protestant William III. It is likely that this portrait was commissioned to mark his succession as 4th Viscount in 1700. Morphy, born to an Irish father and English mother, worked extensively in both England and Ireland. Here, he demonstrates his skill in differentiating between disparate textures. The loose brushwork, evident in the depiction of the curls, is typical of the artist.
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