19th Century Irish School "Landscape with Mill Buildings, c...

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€2,000 - €3,000

19th Century Irish School

"Landscape with Mill Buildings, c. 1840," O.O.C., in gilt frame, 70cms x 90cms (27 1/2" x 35 1/2"). (1)

Set beside a river and weir, and nestling below a mountain range, this complex of mill buildings has not been positively identified. Nor is the identity of the artist known, but as the style is naif, it is likely by a journeyman painter of the mid nineteenth century. The range of buildings depicted is extensive, with the older watermills on the right, and newer ones, powered by steam engines, on the left. On the extreme left is a building which looks like a military barracks. Overhead, fluffy clouds spin across a pale blue sky. Although the mountains in the distance are devoid of vegetation, there is woodland growth on the lower slopes. A grove of trees has been planted at the edge of the field behind the mills, the perimeter being marked by three gates and reached by a winding road leading from the factory complex.

According to tradition, the painting, which dates from around 1840, depicts a view in County Waterford, but the layout of buildings and chimneys does not accord with well-known mills such as those at Portlaw or Kilmacthomas. However, at nearby Clonmel, in County Tipperary, a complex of mills on Suir Island holds more promise. Set between the river and a canal, the principal mill building survives today and has been converted into apartments. Its architecture corresponds with the main building depicted in the painting. On Stretches Island, close to Suir Island, another large mill survives today. The painting locates the mill complex in the countryside, with fields in the background and mountains in the distance. While a degree of artistic licence can be allowed, mid-nineteenth century OS maps do indeed confirm that the area south of the River Suir was rural at that time: the town of Clonmel grew rapidly during the course of the century. Historically, the mills on Suir Island included a tannery and flour mills. One fifth of all flour exported from Ireland came from one mill in Clonmel, with much of it being transported down the River Suir to the Port of Waterford. From the late eighteenth century onwards, but particularly during the famine years of 1843-47, there were food riots in Clonmel, with mills and grain stores being attacked. Given the importance of the flour industry, it was inevitable that there would be a constant threat of attack on flour carts and barges. The army was called upon to provide protection for convoys heading to Waterford by river and road; and so the presence of the barrack-like building in the painting makes sense. If the painting does indeed depict Suir Island in Clonmel, sadly very few of the buildings depicted survive today; the area behind the principal building is now a large car park.