Morgan O'Driscoll Irish & International Art Auction 29th April 2019

54 42 Georges Croegaert (1848-1923) Contemplation signed ‘Georges Croegaert, Paris’ lower right oil on panel 27 x 22cm (10.5 x 8.75in) Provenance: Ernest T.H. Bennett, London (label verso); Private Collection €3,000-€5,000 ($3,370-$5,617) (£2,542-£4,237) In this painting, a richly-dressed Cardinal, in scarlet silk gown, sits in the grand salon of a house in France or Belgium. On a table beside him, lie a sheaf of letters, an open inkwell and a box, presumably containing pens. The cardinal appears to have just written a letter and addressed it, and is now contemplating the effect it will have, when opened and read by the recipient. The expression on the cardinal’s is somewhat comical, and Croegaert has, with skill—but not necessarily cruelty—depicted this senior prelate laughing at his own joke. There is a shared sense of humour here, in which the artist has invited the viewer of the painting to reflect on the foibles of humanity, in the widest sense. A Realist painter from Belgium who had studied art in Antwerp and before moving to Paris in 1876, Georges Croegaert is best-known for such depictions of senior clerics, and also society ladies. His portraits of young women, dressed in glamorous clothing, in fashionable interiors, often with a Japonisme or Oriental theme, helped establish his fame and success in the French capital. While seeming at first glance superficial, Croegaert’s portraits and genre scenes are characterised by a quiet sense of humour and an insight into the weaknesses and vanities of mankind. In keeping with a long- established Netherlandish tradition, the objects depicted in his paintings are intended to tell a story, and to point up a moral. As well as his society portraits, he also painted outdoor and genre scenes, sometimes set on riverbanks, with picnickers resting on the grass. Occasionally he painted everyday scenes in cafes, as in his Café de La Paix (1883). However Croegaert is best-known for his ‘cardinal’ paintings, in which senior figures in the church were depicted, sumptuously dressed in red robes, but indulging in idle or frivolous activities—other artists who painted ‘cardinal’ paintings included Francois Brunery, Andrea Landini and Jehan Georges Vibert. Croegaert was highly popular in his lifetime, not least with European and American collectors, and his paintings have remained popular ever since his death, in Paris, in 1923. His The Cardinal’s Lunch is in Hartlepool Museum, while Lady with a Fan is in the Shipley Art Gallery, The Artist’s Studio is in Wigan. Peter Murray, March 2019