Three early stained-glass treasures in the National Collection

In 2023, Crawford Art Gallery successfully applied to The Heritage Council’s Heritage Stewardship Fund to ensure the long-term preservation and sustainable public display of three early stained-glass panels by celebrated artist Harry Clarke.

Significance

Crawford Art Gallery’s three panels of stained glass by Harry Clarke (1889-1931) are rare examples of the artist’s early training and emerging originality.

Purchased directly from the artist in 1924 through the Gibson Bequest Fund, The Consecration of St Mel, Bishop of Longford, by St Patrick, The Godhead Enthroned, and The Meeting of St Brendan with the Unhappy Judas were made between 1910 and 1911 while Clarke was a student at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. He was awarded the highly coveted gold medal for these panels at the South Kensington National Competitions in 1911, at which work by students from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland was adjudicated.

The panels offer evidence of Clarke’s emerging creativity in terms of colour, scale, design, and narrative. It is the inclusion of tiny saints or symbols, reminiscent of ancient Celtic carvings and illuminated manuscripts that demonstrates the artist’s interest in the Celtic Revival, and forecasts the inventiveness and originality in his later work.

Significantly, the lead that holds the glass in The Meeting of St Brendan with the Unhappy Judas (1911) follows the movement of the figures. Clarke’s early and exceptional use of lead in this work served to accentuate the tension in the story, and anticipated the artist’s extraordinary use of the material as both a vital structural element and imaginative support to descriptive detail, which he used to astonishing effect throughout the rest of his career.

Just a few years later, in 1915, Clarke installed the first of his commissioned windows for the Honan Chapel on the grounds of University College Cork, which secured his name as an expert in the craft of stained glass. He went on to create important commissioned works for public and private buildings throughout Ireland, England, and further afield.

In addition to these three works in stained glass, Crawford Art Gallery holds 23 of Harry Clarke’s works on paper, namely his pencil and watercolour studies for The Eve of St Agnes window and ink and watercolour drawings for the writings of Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Graves.

Current Condition
Since being acquired from the artist in 1924, these stained-glass panels have deteriorated, in part due to time, but also through historic poor handling and storage. This, combined with the effects of non-conservation grade framing units (containing heat-generating florescent lighting) have left the works suffering from accumulated dirt, damage, and cracking.

Assessment
Following expert assessment, the three panels have been deemed to be at considerable risk. Initial cleaning was conducted in March 2023 ahead of more sustained conservation in August 2023.

The Consecration of St Mel, Bishop of Longford, by St Patrick removed from its old framing unit, March 2023. Photo: Michael Waldron.

Next Steps
To coincide with National Heritage Week (12-20 August 2023), stained-glass conservator Philip Crook (Vitrail Studios) will conserve the three works at Crawford Art Gallery. They will then be fitted to new conservation-grade and custom-made LED backlit frames, which will enhance display potential into the future.

Free Public Talk
Join us at 1pm on Wednesday 16 August 2023 for a conservation talk by Philip Crook in the Lecture Theatre of Crawford Art Gallery.

Free | Book here through Eventbrite | All very welcome

Philip Crook at work.

This project is supported by The Heritage Council through the Heritage Stewardship Fund.

Text adapted from Reports by Dr Éimear O’Connor (2017) and Ann Chumbley (2023).

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

This painting was conserved by Justin Laffan in 2021.

Significance
Sailing Vessels in Cork Harbour (c.1862) was presented to the Collection in 2021 by the Society of African Missions.

Although smaller than his usual output, this maritime painting by George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson is typical of the Cork artist’s style and subject matter. Indeed, it bears very close resemblance to his larger Naval Squadron in Cork Harbour (1862) and suggests that he repeated compositions in his work.

In all, there are eleven vessels depicted in the painting, the most prominent of which are a small fishing boat (right) and two-decker warship (centre). The latter wears the ‘White Ensign’, a flag denoting that it is a British Royal Navy ship. In the middle background, a French schooner sails past Roche’s Point Lighthouse (left) while a ship of the line (naval warship) flies signal flags. The faint silhouettes of other sailing vessels can be discerned on the horizon.

'The Port of Cork Collection' - Crawford Art Gallery - Cork, Ireland - 2022 / Photograph: Jed Niezgoda - www.jedniezgoda.com

George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson(1806-1884) was a self-taught painter who hailed from Cove (Cobh), County Cork. Initially an apprentice ship’s carpenter, he later returned to land and became Government Surveyor of Shipping and Emigration. His prolific output documents the vessels that frequented or visited Cork Harbour in the mid-to-late nineteenth century.

In total, Crawford Art Gallery holds seventeen works by Atkinson in the Collection, perhaps the largest public repository of his work. Works by his son, Richard Peterson Atkinson (1856-1882), and daughter, Sarah Atkinson Dobbs (fl.1880-1915), are also in the Collection.

Assessment
On assessment, this painting was considered to be in of repair and cleaning to ensure it was in display condition.

It was noted that damage to the canvas had been repaired in the past by infilling with gesso (plaster) and retouching. A (presumably) later cleaning attempt had removed the surface layer of retouched paint and exposed the gesso.

The varnish was also discoloured and there was badly colour-matched overpainting on the sky area.

Treatment
The surface was minimally cleaned to avoid further removal of paint. The gesso areas were also levelled before the damage was retouched carefully in colour-matched watercolour.

The result of this intervention is that the painting now glows with new vitality, revealing the artist’s rich colour palette and brushwork. It gives us great pleasure to have been entrusted with this painting’s care and is now conserved so that, into the future, it may be enjoyed and studied.

CAG.3185 George Mounsey Wheatley Atkinson, Sailing Vessels in Cork Harbour, c.1862, oil on canvas, Presented, Society of African Missions, 2021.

Display
Sailing Vessels in Cork Harbour has since been displayed alongside The Port of Cork Collection and, most recently, in BEHIND THE SCENES: Collection at Work (26 November 2022 – 10 April 2023) in which this conservation work was highlighted.

'The Port of Cork Collection' - Crawford Art Gallery - Cork, Ireland - 2022 / Photograph: Jed Niezgoda - www.jedniezgoda.com

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

This painting was cleaned in 2019 by Corrie Tubman in the first phase of a anticipated larger conservation project.

Significance
Tara’s Halls is a large, undated oil painting by William Magrath, which for many years hung high up in Crawford Art Gallery’s lecture theatre.

The painting’s subject is derived from Thomas Moore’s “The Harp That Once through Tara’s Halls” (1807), a popular ballad to which James Joyce also refers in Ulysses (1922). It is a meditation on national spirit (harp) and the loss of self-rule (kingship of Tara) in the aftermath of the Acts of Union (1800).

Tara’s Halls at the beginning of surface cleaning (centre)

Painted in the United States during Magrath’s later career, Tara’s Halls is notably one of the first purchases made through the Gibson Bequest Fund. Having been acquired for the Collection in 1920 from Mrs A. McSwiney, it is also a deeply political statement in the context of the Irish War of Independence (1919-21).

William Magrath (1838-1918) was a native of Cork and was educated at St. Stephen’s Hospital and the Blue Coat School, before enrolling at the Cork School of Art in 1856. ‘His subsequent career,’ as John Gilbert observed, ‘was remarkable for hard knocks and unassisted hard work.’ He led a peripatetic life, stowing away on vessel to New York where he found work as a sign writer. He attracted public attention for his portrait of General “Stonewall” Jackson (1824-1863) and later became involved with the Theosophists following a meeting with the Russian mystic, Madame Blavatsky (1831-1891). He later travelled in Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Italy, before settling in London, where he died on 12 February 1918.

Assessment

To make it ready for exhibition, Tara’s Halls was taken down from its location in Crawford Art Gallery’s lecture theatre with the use of scaffolding. Over several days in April 2019, conservator Corrie Tubman assessed and treated this historic work.

Through her investigation, Magrath’s technique of applying paint in a flat manner, sometimes very thinly, became apparent. Some small repairs from previous conservation work were also noted. More significantly, however, was a darkened and yellowed varnish that had been unevenly applied across the painting's surface and obscured much of its detail.

The canvas was discovered to be slack with some minor stretcher bar marks. Saturation levels were very poor due to the degraded natural resin varnish. It was also noted that the canvas may have been repositioned, either by the artist or others, at some point in its history as the edges of the painted composition do not align with the first turn-over edges.

The wooden frame, ornamented with fruit and leaf mouldings, was found to be dusty, structurally weak, and prone to torque.

Verso (reverse) of the canvas on 6-bay wooden stretcher with one horizontal, two vertical cross bars, and fourteen wooden keys.

Treatment
Loose surface dust was first removed with a soft brush and vacuum. This was followed by removal of more ingrained dirt using a wet/dry method and cotton swab.

Once the very thick dark-brown dirt layer – suggestive of nicotine! – was removed, some of the painting’s long-hidden details finally began to reveal themselves, including numerous background figures and an architectural space with medieval décor, which all serve to enrich Magrath’s original scene.

The ornamental frame was also cleaned during this process but will require further repair and stabilisation in the future.

Display
Since this conservation work was undertaken, Tara’s Halls has been exhibited in The Gibson Bequest 1919-2019: Selecting, Collecting & Philanthropy (3 May 2019 – 19 January 2020).

In 2022, the painting was displayed for two months at Áras an Uachtaráin, Dublin.

CAG.0311 William Magrath, Tara’s Halls, undated, oil on canvas, 160.5 x 275 cm. Purchased, Mrs A. McSwiney, 1920 (Gibson Bequest Fund). Photo: Jed Niezgoda.

Text adapted from Condition Report (2019) by Corrie Tubman.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

This painting was conserved in 2018 by Giulia Campagnari at the National Gallery of Ireland’s conservation studio through a shared NGI-CAG-IMMA Conservation Internship.

Significance
Portrait of a Boy with Blue Eyes is an undated painting with an equally uncertain story. Believed to be from the first half of the twentieth century, it is the work of an artist known only as ‘Mahony’. It has been speculated that it could be the work of painter Martin F. Mahony but further research is required.

CAG.0534 Mahony, Portrait of a Boy with Blue Eyes, undated, oil on canvas, 35 x 30 cm.

Before Conservation

What is known about this seldom exhibited portrait, however, is that by 2018 it was in need of a good deal of care to ensure its future stability and potential for display.

The painting was in poor condition due to damages to the left tacking margin, slack tension and deformation of the canvas. In addition, severe cracking and flaking of paint, raised paint flakes, surface dirt, discolouration of the varnish, old losses, and over-paints affected the whole surface of the painting.

Following condition checking, flaking paint and raised paint flakes were stabilized by applying animal glue (a collagen-based binder) and flattened with gentle pressure from a mini hot spatula.

Treatment
After testing different solutions and solvents, the appropriate methods were chosen to carry out surface cleaning. This was followed by a slow and controlled removal of old over-painting and yellowed varnish.

The torn left margin of the painting was then fixed to the stretcher. New wooden keys were inserted at the corners of the stretcher to achieve a better tension of the canvas and to improve the planarity of the painting.

Losses were in-filled with gesso, which was then paired down and textured by scalpel to mimic the surrounding brushstrokes. The conservator subsequently retouched the areas of gesso with watercolours.

Finishing Touches
To conclude the process, the surface of the painting was varnished and reframed. The result is that the painting is currently stable and in good condition.

Display

Since its conservation, Portrait of a Boy with Blue Eyes has been displayed in BEHIND THE SCENES: Collection at Work (26 November 2022 – 10 April 2023) in which this conservation work was highlighted.

Photo: Jed Niezgoda

Text adapted from Conservation Report (2018) by Giulia Campagnari.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

This painting was conserved in 2018 by Giulia Campagnari at the National Gallery of Ireland’s conservation studio through a shared NGI-CAG-IMMA Conservation Internship.

Significance
News from America (1875) by James Brenan represents the impact of the Government National Schools system on a new generation of Irish children. It depicts a barefoot young girl reading a letter to a, perhaps illiterate, group of adults within a humble Irish cottage interior. The adults, one of whom wears a traditional Kinsale cloak, are attentive to the words she reads which, as the title suggests, brings news from those who have emigrated to the United States. The painting acts as a reminder of the experience of migration, often permanent, by those who remain at home.

In 1974, this and another work by Brenan were singled out for comment in a review of the Shannon Appeal Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings of Old Cork:

Although both works especially "The Emigrant's Letter" [News from America] have suffered badly from past treatment and have been patched and restored, they display a natural and sympathetic freshness.

Cork Examiner, 1 May 1974

The painting was exhibited in the State Apartments of Dublin Castle as part of The Crawford at the Castle (8 October 2016 – 12 February 2017).

CAG.2657 Photograph of James Brenan, Headmaster of Cork School of Art, 29 June 1889.

James Brenan (1837-1907)* was a painter and educationalist who had studied at the schools of both the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) and Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA). After some years working in London, Birmingham, and Liverpool. He moved back to Ireland in 1860 to become headmaster of the Cork School of Art at what would become a transformative time in its history.

Ultimately overseeing its expansion into the Crawford Municipal School of Art, he was instrumental in the introduction of design and lace-making classes, at the beginning of the Arts & Crafts Movement.

In 1878, Brenan became a full member of the RHA where he exhibited his work regularly. Subsequently on the committee of the Cork Industrial and Fine Art Exhibition (1883), he was appointed headmaster of the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art (now National College of Art Design) in 1889.

*James Brenan should not be confused with his similarly named contemporary, James Butler Brenan (1825-1889), who was also a painter.

Assessment
Over its history, the painting had suffered numerous tears and punctures, which had been repaired in previous interventions. After assessment, it was noted that at the tears the canvas appeared distorted and flaking of paint was present at the margins.

Uneven varnish, matt retouchings, and surface dirt also affected its overall appearance, a section of the margin of canvas was ripped, and the stretcher was cracked at one corner.

Treatment
Once the decision was taken to conserve this work, flaking paint was consolidated with gelatine. Surface cleaning was then carried out, and existing watercolour over-paints and discoloured retouchings were removed with aqueous solution.

Localized distortions at the old repairs were also addressed through application of minimal moisture. Cracks and losses were filled-in with acrylic gesso (base paint) and then in-painting was carried out on this with watercolours. Matt areas of paint visible before treatment have finally been varnished to achieve an overall even appearance.

The ripped canvas was repaired with a film of thermoplastic adhesive and the use of a hot spatula.

Stretcher and Frame
The stretcher corner was repaired by application of conservation adhesive, and new keys were made to allow the canvas to achieve adequate tension.

Finally, flaking gilding on the frame was consolidated and losses were retouched with watercolours so that News from America is in its best shape in many years.

CAG.0320 James Brenan, News from America, 1875, oil on canvas, 81.5 x 91 cm. Presented, the Artist

Text adapted from Conservation Report (2018) by Giulia Campagnari.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

This painting was conserved in 2018 by Giulia Campagnari at the National Gallery of Ireland’s conservation studio through a shared NGI-CAG-IMMA Conservation Internship.

Significance
Festival Scene is among Sylvia Cooke-Collis’ most strikingly individual paintings in an Irish public collection. In its palette and bold outlines, this work embodies stylistic elements that resonate with Fauvism and the work of Raoul Dufy (1877-1953), while also echoing the artist’s training with Irish modernist, Mainie Jellett (1897-1944).

The painting is one five works by the artist that were presented to Crawford Art Gallery in 1974 by the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland through the Sylvia Cooke-Collis Bequest.

CAG.0136 Sylvia Cooke-Collis, Festival Scene, undated, oil on canvas, 141 x 106 cm. Presented, Friends of the National Collections of Ireland (Sylvia Cooke-Collis Bequest). © the artist’s estate.

Sylvia Cooke-Collis (1900-1973), who had grown up at Clifford House and Annes Grove, County Cork, initially studied at Crawford Municipal School of Art under John Power. This was a time when the Collection was rapidly expanding to include work by Harry Clarke, George Clausen, Paul Henry, Seán Keating, John Lavery, Anne St John Partridge, and Jack B. Yeats.

The artist exhibited regularly with Dublin Painters’ Gallery, Grafton Gallery, and The Water Colour Society of Ireland, as well as at Munster Fine Art Club, Royal Ulster Academy, Irish Exhibition of Living Art, and Imperial Hotel, Cork.

Sylvia Cooke-Collis at Imperial Hotel, Cork with sculptor Séamus Murphy, December 1952. Photo courtesy Julian Walton.

Aside from Jellett, among Cooke-Collis’ creative circle of friends were painters Evie Hone, Stella Frost, and Basil Rákóczi, writer Elizabeth Bowen, and sculptor Séamus Murphy (who would create her headstone).

Assessment
Condition checking revealed that the painting was in a very poor state. Rusted tacks had caused oxidation and ripping of the canvas at the tacking points. The canvas itself was loose on the stretcher and suffered from severe distortion, with several pronounced bulges.

Before starting treatment

These issues had aggravated the cracking of the thick and rigid ground and oil paint layer, most severely on the areas of significant deformation, and triggered delamination, tenting, and flaking, which had in turn lead to several paint losses over time.

Dirt and dust also gave the unvarnished surface of the painting a dull appearance. Accumulation of dust and debris were present on the verso (reverse), as well as on the stretcher and frame. There were also signs of a non-active infestation of woodworm in the corner joins of the strainer.

The painting had also been fitted to the frame with bent nails, which placed it at risk.

It was decided that this painting would benefit significantly from treatment at National Gallery of Ireland’s conservation studio. Areas of paint at risk from further loss were faced with Japanese paper before it was packed for transport.

Consolidation and Cleaning
Once it had arrived safely at National Gallery of Ireland’s conservation studio, the painting was unpacked, de-framed, removed from its stretcher, and dusted.

Taken off stretcher

Localised consolidation of flaking paint was conducted using Beva 371 adhesive in White Spirit (15%), which was reactivated after 24 hours by application of heat with a hot spatula.

Surface cleaning test

Surface cleaning tests with deionised water indicated the sensitivity of some colours to aqueous cleaning methods. Following further tests with solvents White Spirit, ShellSol A, and ShellSol D40, the latter was chosen as it allowed a gradual cleaning.

Treatment
The painting was placed on a heated vacuum table. A 15% solution of Beva 371 (adhesive) in White Spirit was applied to impregnate the canvas, ground, and paint layers.

Consolidation of paint from verso

The painting was left on silicone release paper until complete evaporation of the solvent had occurred. The margins were then flattened with a heated spatula.

Flattening the margins

The Beva 371 adhesive was then reactivated by application of controlled heat (68-70°C). Planar distortion was eliminated thanks to suction on the heated vacuum table and keeping the painting under weight for the following day and night.

An indication of good penetration of the solution, glossy lines of Beva 371 on the recto (front) were subsequently removed with ShellSol D40.

After treatment on heated vacuum table

The conservator then applied Beva 371 solution on areas of flaking paint and bulges, which were then kept under weight to eliminate distortion.

Re-stretching, Retouching, and Reframing
As a preventative measure, the woodworm holes in the painting’s strainer were sealed with beeswax and the painting could then be re-stretched.  

Stainless steel staples were applied at the margins, with cotton tape interposed to protect the canvas. The excess of canvas was then secured on the verso (reverse).

Where areas of past paint loss existed, these were infilled with gesso and retouched in watercolours.

The painting was reframed and fitted to museum standard, with flexible steel slips, spacers, felt lining on the frame rebate, and a foamcore backing board. The original labels for the painting were inserted into Melinex polyester sleeves and secured to the backing board.

Display
Since its conservation, Festival Scene has returned to display in a number of exhibition contexts, most recently in BEHIND THE SCENES: Collection at Work (26 November 2022 – 10 April 2023) in which this conservation work was highlighted.

Photo: Jed Niezgoda

Text adapted from Conservation Report (2018) by Giulia Campagnari.

Learn more about Sylvia Cooke-Collis’ Festival Scene here:
Work Of The Week | 1 February 2021 - Crawford Art Gallery

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

This painting was conserved in 2018 by Giulia Campagnari at the National Gallery of Ireland’s conservation studio through a shared NGI-CAG-IMMA Conservation Internship.

Significance

The Red Rose (1923) by John Lavery is among Crawford Art Gallery’s best-loved masterpieces. Signed ‘J. Lavery’ at bottom left, it is one of more than a staggering 400 portraits the artist made of his wife, artist and socialite Hazel Lavery (1880-1935), née Martyn. In his memoir, The Life of a Painter, Lavery lists this work under the title, The Red Rose – Hazel.

CAG.0081 John Lavery, The Red Rose, 1923, oil on canvas, 102.3 x 128 cm. Purchased, the Artist, 1925 (Gibson Bequest Fund).

Curiously, Hazel was not the first subject to be painted on this canvas, however, as it is known that portraits of Mrs William Burrell (1892), stage actor Sarah Bernhardt (1912), and the ‘Queen of Beauty’ Mary, Viscountess Curzon exist beneath. The frame, originally in portrait orientation, also bears the inscription ‘Vienna 1911’, which alludes to the canvas’ exhibition in Austria.

Lady Lavery was to become an emblem of modern Ireland when another portrait of her – as Kathleen Ní Houlihan, symbol of Irish nationalism – by her husband graced Irish banknotes, from 1928 until the 1970s. The portrait subsequently appeared as the watermark on Irish currency until the introduction of the Euro in 2002.

Crawford Art Gallery purchased The Red Rose from John Lavery in 1925 through the Gibson Bequest Fund and it remains a much sought after work in the Collection.

Assessment

Having spent much of the last decade travelling to prestigious locations, including Áras an Uachtaráin and Dublin Castle, it had become apparent that (like us all) the painting required some TLC.

Specifically, the canvas suffered from distortion along its left half and had developed a sharp crest and cracks, which caused flaking and losses of paint. Surface dirt and visible drying cracks were also present.

The ‘Facing’ Process

Based on this assessment, it was decided to transport The Red Rose to the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin for treatment.

Prior to this, and for protection during transport, a ‘facing’ process was undertaken. Japanese paper (tissue) was applied with adhesive over the fragile flaking paint. Once it had arrived safely at its destination, the Japanese paper was removed and surface cleaning was carried out with aqueous solutions on cotton wool swabs. This is not unlike a delicate take on a skin-care regimen!

Treatment

The cracks at the centre-left were stabilized, re-activating – through application of heat and gentle pressure by hot spatula – an existing adhesive from a previous intervention. This treatment also made the canvas more flexible and allowed the conservator to address the crest in canvas and the deformation of the painting by keeping it under weights overnight.

The painting was then ‘keyed out’ to improve the tension of the canvas, making it taut rather like a drum. This solved the issue of distortion on its left section. The canvas was then retouched with reversible varnish colours on areas where there were paint losses and cracks.

Finishing Touches

During this process, the painting’s gorgeous gilt frame was also conserved. Before reframing the portrait, splinters of wood, cracks, and flaking gilding were stabilized by application of appropriate adhesives, and losses of gilding and paint were retouched.

Since its conservation, The Red Rose has returned to display regularly and in several new contexts, most recently in BEHIND THE SCENES: Collection at Work (26 November 2022 – 10 April 2023) in which this conservation work was highlighted.

'Behind The Scenes' at Crawford Art Gallery, Cork, Ireland, 2022 / Photograph: Jed Niezgoda - www.jedniezgoda.com

Text adapted from Conservation Report (2018) by Giulia Campagnari.

Learn more about John Lavery’s The Red Rose here.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube