CAG.0300 Circle of Allan Ramsay, Portrait of Mrs Emmet, c.1765, oil on canvas, 75 x 62.4 cm. Bequeathed, H.L.R. Emmet, 1980.
CAG.0420 Circle of Allan Ramsay, Portrait of Dr Emmet, Father of Robert Emmet c.1765, oil on canvas, 76 x 64 cm. Bequeathed, H.L.R. Emmet, 1980.
We’re doubling up with these WORKS OF THE WEEK!
As they are pendant portraits, Portrait of Mrs Emmet and Portrait of Dr Emmet must be considered together as an expression of unity.
Attributed to the circle of Scottish portraitist Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), the exact date of their making is not recorded. But a clue in the portrait of Dr Emmet might help us make an educated guess.
Circle of Allan Ramsay, Portrait of Dr Emmet, Father of Robert Emmet c.1765, oil on canvas, 76 x 64 cm. Bequeathed, H.L.R. Emmet, 1980
Bearing the inscription ‘Robert Emmet M.D. of Cork’, it suggests that this was made at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Mason, in Cork, on 15 November 1760. It is certainly likely that they were painted before the couple moved to Dublin, in 1770, when Emmet became State Physician of Ireland, an office he purchased from the widow of his predecessor.
The picture of elegance, Elizabeth Mason (1739-1803) was the daughter of Catherine Power and James Mason of Ballydowney, near Killarney, County Kerry. She would bear seventeen children but, sadly not unusual for the time, only four of whom reached adulthood:
Robert Emmet (1729-1802), son of Rebecca Temple and Christopher Emett [sic] of County Tipperary, studied medicine at Montpelier University in France. Returning to Ireland, he practiced in Cork where he treated fever cases. It is he who changed the spelling of the family’s surname to Emmet.
Both portraits were bequeathed to Crawford Art Gallery in 1980 by the couple’s descendant, H.L.R. Emmet of Pennsylvania.
Both portraits are featured in ALL EYES ON US until 24 March.
The Arts House: Conor Tallon chats with curator Michael Waldron about a work from the Collection every Sunday morning on Cork’s 96FM and C103 Cork.
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