Margaret Clarke
, Irish, 1884-1961
Title
Bath Time at the CrècheDatec.1925
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
127 x 101 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1982
Object numberNGI.4359
Label TextInspired by a family holiday in Laytown, Co. Meath, this painting is at once an elaborate fiction and an intimate domestic record. Julia O’Brien, Clarke’s favourite model and nanny to her three children (who can be seen together on the left), was the model for both adult figures. The seated boy is Terry Clarke, the artist’s nephew, who also reappears in the background. Throughout the composition are items from the Clarke home. The black infant may have been inspired by a carved head of a baby that was also in the family’s possession.