Alice Clara Veronica Wynne, Irish (1890-1969) 'A Young Girl...

Estimate

€500 - €700

Alice Clara Veronica Wynne, Irish (1890-1969)

'A Young Girl reflected in a Mirror,' O.O.C., depicting young girl with pigtails seated at a table with book catching her reflection, approx. 76cms x 64cms (30" x 25"), gilt frame.

Provenance:  The Wynne Family, Tigroney House, Avoca, Co. Wicklow.

Note:  The fact that this highly finished and carefully composed genre painting is unsigned suggests that it was submitted for an open competition of some kind. Indeed, it is highly likely that it was painted for entry in the 1913 Taylor Prize Competition. The set subject for that year was 'The Girl in the Mirror,' with first prize being awarded to Patrick Tuohy. However, amongst the four other prize winners that year was a Miss A.C. Wynne (information kindly supplied by Nancy Larchet, RDS).

Little is known of this artist, except that she came from an artistic family renowned for the colourful tweed cloths they sold from their mill in Avoca, Co. Wicklow. Known to her family as Veronica Wynne, she was the third daughter of Albert Augustus Wynne and Alice Katherine Wynne, of Tigroney House, Avoca (Burke's Irish Family Records, 1976). Among her cousins and relations were the watercolour artists Gladys Wynne (1878-1968), Edith Wynne, May Wynne and Maud Wynne (see Nicola Gordon Bowe, Irish Women Artists Catalogue, 1987, page 194).

Under the pseudonyms V. and E. Pringle-West, Veronica and her sister Emily were co-authors of Every Do: A Novel, published by Ernest Benn, London, 1929.  It appears therefore that Veronica Wynne abandoned what was a most promising artistic career in favour of literary pursuits.