Morgan O'Driscoll Irish & International Art Auction 12th November 2018

30 23 George Bernard O’Neill (1828-1917) Picking Grapes (1898) signed lower left and dated (18)’98 oil on board 45.70 x 35.20cm (18 x 14in) Provenance: Richard Green Gallery, London (label verso); Private Collection €2,500-€3,500 (£2,232-£3,125) Accomplished and prolific, O’Neill was best known for his highly detailed genre and figure paintings, which typically featured children and animals. Born in Dublin, he exhibited over seventy works at London’s Royal Academy, and his paintings survive in more than 16 public collections, e.g. A Deathbed Scene (National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin), and The Foundling (Tate Britain, 1852). His narrative suggests children leaving their game of hoop and stick, to help the old man, so he need not descend from the ladder as he picks grapes. Meticulously depicted, the open gate hints that the girl has wandered into the scene, where the boy already has his basket lined and filled with a vine leaf and grapes. Plants are used symbolically; to represent youth and innocence (the daisy, between the children), and old age (the autumn leaves), soon to be swept aside with the besom that leans up in the fore- ground. The terrier, representing faithfulness, observes the scene. The leaded fenestration and good clothing, suggest an English rather than Irish setting. Claudia Kinmonth October 2018