Frederick Goodall
, English, 1822-1904
Title
The Holy WellDate1843
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
27 x 38 cm
Signed1843
Credit LinePurchased, 2010
Object numberNGI.2010.7
Label TextHoly wells were, and remain, common and widely distributed throughout Ireland. They were often associated with particular saints - though also having pagan associations - and were frequently marked, as in this instance, by a cross. Though not an Irish preserve, they were widely perceived by visitors as the focus of a quaint form of Catholic devotion, and attracted the attention of artists, novelists and travel writers from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Their waters were often believed to have curative properties.