James Arthur O’Connor (1792-1841) (and others)  "The Jealo...

Hammer

€3,200

James Arthur O’Connor (1792-1841) (and others) 

"The Jealous Husband 1824," O.O.C., 77cms  x 64.8cms (30 1/2" x 25 1/2").

Bears label on verso ‘The Jealous Husband by J. A. O Connor 1824, bought at Penrith 2 Nov 1894, Price £3.15. R. E. H. Duke’

Signed ‘J. A. O’Connor’ and dated 1824, this painting is unusual in the artist’s oeuvre, in that the figures, and the subject matter, are not in keeping with his usual output. However the background and setting contain much that can be expected in O’Connor’s work, particularly the details of the rutted country road, leafy trees and cloudy skies, and the figure resting by the side of the road. It can be conjectured that this is a ‘joint-stock’ painting, one in which two artists had a hand, with O’Connor providing background and setting, while another artist filled in the figures. Such collaborative paintings were not uncommon in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as artists struggled to find a market for their work. In this work, the jealous husband, wearing an apron, stands at the door of his shop, while his wife, having abandoned her cleaning work, offers a drink to a passing traveller. A boy bends down to pat the traveller’s dog, while the traveller holds up his glass in appreciation of the kind gesture.

 Born in Aston Quay, Dublin, O’Connor was largely self-taught as an artist, although he attended some classes at the Dublin Society’s Drawing Schools. Moving to London in 1822, he enjoyed initial success in selling paintings. In 1823, at the Royal Academy, he showed The Lover’s leap, In the Dargle, county of Wicklow and Landsape and Figures: A scene in the county of Dublin. The following year, from an address at 32, Upper Mary-le-bone-street, Portland-Place, he exhibited at the RA, a Landscape and Water-mill at Arundel, Sussex. By 1825, he was living at Frederick Street, Hampstead Road. However, according to Alfred Webb in his 1878 Compendium of Irish Biography, O’Connor suffered from ‘intemperate habits’ and according to art historian John Hutchinson, was taken advantage of by dealers in London, and his talents exploited: It is in this context that the present work has a ring of authenticity. In 1826, O’Connor and his wife Anastasia travelled to Brussels, in company with an art dealer named Collier (or Collior). In Belgium, although he painted and sold a considerable number of works, he was swindled out of the profits by the dealer. The following year, the O’Connors returned to London, where he continued to show at the RA and other major exhibitions. He subsequently spent time in Germany, and the influence of Northern European Romanticism is evident in his finest paintings, such as The Frightened Waggoner, Poachers by Moonlight or Monk in a Landscape. However, in spite of his considerable talents, O’Connor died in poverty, in Brompton, in 1841.

Peter Murray 2024 

Provenance: Nelson Bell Collection - The Bell Galley, Belfast.