An Eviction - a gift to the Maynooth College Collection from the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland

An Eviction has been presented by the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland to the Maynooth College Collection.

The painting was presented by Dr John Turpin, President of the FNCI in the company of members of the Council. The painting further enhances the College's collection, and it is hoped it will inspire others to contribute works and help to build the Maynooth College Collection.

It is appropriate that the painting now hangs in a Pugin designed building, which was erected during the great famine, and was in use during the Land Wars, when many of the dreaded evictions were taking place in Ireland.

The painting was acquired from Milmo-Penny Fine Art, and during the presentation, Dr Turpin expressed his gratitude to Dominic Milmo-Penny who was present, for the part he played in making the picture available, and for being associated with the donation.

Monsignor Connolly expressed his gratitude to Dr Turpin and the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland for their ongoing generosity and support.

We would welcome any information which would help us discover the artist. Please contact PresOff@may.ie.

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An Eviction
Irish School
manner of Elizabeth Butler, c.1890

Oil on canvas, 61 x 30 inches
Signed by the artist, monogram TE

Provenance:
The collection of Ronnie McDonnell, Dublin;
George Mealy, Castlecomer, 16th June, 1994, lot no. 1082 (ref.4653);
Milmo-Penny Fine Art, Dublin

Exhibited:
Milmo-Penny Fine Art, December 2007

The graphic battle scenes of the Crimean war and the battle of Waterloo made Elizabeth Butler (1846-1933) one of the most famous painters of her day.  She married Major William Butler in June 1877, a native of Ballyslattan, Co Tipperary.  They spent their honeymoon in Glencar, Co.  Kerry, from where they explored the West of Ireland travelling as far north as Achill Island in Mayo.  Elizabeth recorded the local types and scenery in her sketchbooks and made studies for one of her best known paintings, Listed for the Connaught Rangers: Recruiting in Ireland.  The painting was well received when it was shown at the Royal Academy in 1879.  At this time, her husband was campaigning for better conditions for Irish and Scottish crofters.  He believed that improving their living conditions would lessen emigration to America thereby increasing the flow of recruits into the army.

Evicted, another painting of Irish interest, (from the National Gallery of Victoria website) made quite a stir at the Academy in 1890.  At this time, the campaign for Irish Home Rule, which followed decades of evictions throughout Ireland, was well under way.  Elizabeth Butler's husband had risen to the rank of Lieutenant General and had already been knighted in spite of his open criticism of the British government's expansionist policies throughout the Empire.  Furthermore, he was a close friend and ardent supporter of Charles Stewart Parnell and his campaign for Home Rule.  William was a guest at Aughavanagh, Parnell's shooting lodge in the Wicklow Mountains, when Elizabeth heard of an eviction, which was in progress at Glendalough.  She was staying in Delgany at the time and travelled immediately to record the event.  The painting was met with fury and sarcastic remarks by the British Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, although the public did not share his sentiment.  The painting is now in the collection of the Irish Folklore Commission

It may be that the present work was inspired by Butler's painting.  The distraught appearance of the unfortunate tenants, staring helplessly towards the heavens, relates to Butler's tragic figure standing outside her ruined cottage in Glendalough.  However, apart from this aspect, the treatment of the subject matter is quite different in the present work. 

Elizabeth portrayed a lone heroic figure, set in fine scenery, with an eviction party retreating into the distance.  In the present version, there is no hint of cheer or colour; just the desperation of a helpless family, overwhelmed by their circumstances.  Their few possessions, a large cooking pot, a bellows and a spinning wheel lie in a heap outside their cottage.  In the background, a family with young children loads the contents of their cottage on to a cart.

Donegal Spinning wheel: Muckross House, Killarney

The spinning wheel in the foreground was a type used extensively in the flax industry and was known as the Dutch wheel.  It was imported from Holland and was also made by local craftsmen.  This particular model was widely used in Northern Ireland, Donegal, Mayo, Galway and Clare.  Mayo was central to the Irish linen trade from the 1790s to the 1850s after which the industry fell into a slow decline.  The Linen Hall in Castlebar was the main depot from which all West of Ireland yarn was traded.

An illustration from the Royal Irish Constabulary website

The uniform worn by the police in the eviction party conforms to that of the Royal Irish Constabulary.  This is suggested by the peaked helmet, which had a spike surrounded on four sides by a medallion, the bright metal of which is indicated in the painting.  However, the badge on the front of the helmet is not shown but this lack of detail is not surprising when we consider the sketchy manner in which this part of the painting was handled.  The faces of the officers for example are simply blocked in and devoid of detail.  Also missing is the helmet chinstrap; however, the podgy shape of the faces may indicate that it is actually in place.  Apart from these elements, the real key to identifying the painting as Irish is the dress of the evicted family.  According to Mairead Dunleavy, the red madder skirt, the inner shawl tied in a wide bow across the neck and the dark grey outer shawl all point to the West of Ireland.

An oil sketch for the painting bears a Windsor and Newton stamp, the style of which indicates that the painting is later than 1882 when the firm became a limited company.  The design of the stamp remained in use until 1905.  The monogram has not been deciphered and may combine the letters T and E with the possible addition of F and L.

Dominic Milmo-Penny