Nathaniel Hone R.H.A. Gorry Gallery • Dublin 29. Study: Ship at Anchor 20. Cover – Study: Sheep in the Park 1. Backcover – Study: Sand and Sea © GORRY GALLERY LTD. paintings from the studio of nathaniel hone R.H.A. 1831 – 1917 Gorry Gallery • Dublin 27th June – 9th July 2002 Introduction r Thomas Bodkin took a bold step in selecting Barret, O’Connor, Osborne and Hone for his celebrated D1920 book Four Irish Landscape Painters. In retrospect, it was a wise and enlightened choice. The work of all four painters has stood the test of time, and their reputations have grown in stature over the years both in Ireland and abroad. It gives me much pleasure, therefore, to present this exhibition of such a large collection of Hone’s work, which has come by descent from his studio and has never been seen before in public. In his oils, we observe his direct alla prima brushwork, giving credence to the saying that ‘the sketch is the artist’s caress’. His buttery paint (with no apparent underdrawing in evidence) is applied with consummate freedom in his ‘plein air’ sketches and, surprisingly, is equally present in his ‘finished’ exhibition works. Unlike his ‘impressionist’ contempories Hone did not rely on colour, restricting his palette to a limited range of natural pigments that were true to the Irish landscape. He mixed black or umber with yellow (rather than blue) to create moist greens, and his blue for sky only was applied sparingly. His watercolours rank with those of the very best international painters and I cannot think of any Irish contemporary who comes near to his mastery. Clearly, Hone was fortunate in that his work was not driven by commercial considerations. He truly ‘lived to paint’ rather than ‘painted to live’. This exhibition would not have been possible without the contribution of the following individuals. Dr Julian Campbell contributes further to the Hone ‘oeuvre’ with an enlightening essay where Julian’s academic expertise is complimented by his direct understanding of the ‘craft’ as an artist in his own right. Dr Paul Caffrey has applied his meticulous skills in cataloguing the collection and much credit is due to him for the exhibition concept itself. The owners and custodians of the paintings entrusted me to embark on the sale of these works on the strict understanding that they were catalogued and exhibited in this format as a ‘collection’, thus presenting a unique opportunity to view them together and enabling collectors to acquire a work by this ‘Father Figure’ of 19th and 20th century Irish art. I am also grateful to David Hone R.H.A. for loaning the early self-portrait of his ancestor, which is shown here for the first time. James Gorry 2 27. Study: Trees 3 The Hone Family he HONES were a Dublin merchant family remained during the XVIII and XIX Centuries an Tdescended from Nathaniel Hone a shoemaker of essentially merchant family trading and living within the Marlborough in Wiltshire who died in 1665 and whose City of Dublin to which their descendants are still son, Samuel, came to Ireland with the Parliamentary committed; only in the mid XIX century did they move to Army and eventually set up business on Wood Quay. attractive residences in the outskirts, now mostly Samuel’s eldest surviving grandson was NATHANIEL demolished and built over. With their many family HONE R.A. 1718-1784, a miniaturist and enamellist who connections – Crosthwaites, Moores, Colleys, Symes et al. later became a portrait painter in oils, elected a Member – they formed a closely knit network of upright of the Florentine Academy 1752, one of the first Directors Protestants preferring to marry their cousins and having of the Society of Arts 1765, a Founder Member of the many children. Nonetheless the talents of the first two Royal Academy 1768. He held the first one man generations often reappeared during the XIX and XX exhibition ever held in St. Martin’s Lane in London in centuries. 1775 after his quarrel with Sir Joshua Reynolds over a From Joseph are descended, besides a host of well painting in which he had depicted Angelica Kauffmann as known cricketers, polo players and yachtsmen, the famous a nude angel; his portraits include George Whitefield, sisters Dorothy Teacher, (creator of one of Ireland's great John Wesley and Sir John Fielding. gardens) Nancy Connell (the unstoppable MFH of the In 1742 he had married Molly Earle, reputedly a Meath Hunt) Leland Hutchinson, and EVIE HONE the natural daughter of the 4th Duke of Argyll; among their stained-glass artist; also Joseph Hone, the biographer of children were HORACE HONE (1756-1835) ARA, Yeats, his son DAVID HONE, and his grandchildren Joe Miniature Painter to the Prince of Wales, who worked in Hone, the journalist and novelist, and Geraldine Hone Dorset Street Dublin and then after the Act of Union in artist and a board member of the National Gallery of Dover Street London, and JOHN CAMILLUS HONE Ireland. 1759-1836, also miniaturist, who worked as a model for From Brindley, through his second daughter, his father who depicted him as “David” and also as “the descended Provost Mahaffy; through his eldest son Spartan Boy”; in 1780 John Camillus went to the East Nathaniel, Lord Mayor of Dublin 1810-11, descended Indies and worked there; returning to Ireland he was Mary Hart grandmother of Harts, Babingtons, Wilsons, appointed in 1790 Engraver of Dies in the Dublin Stamp Phillpotts, Bartons, Morroghs and Gwynns; Nannie Office. Bellingham, died 1938, friend of Orpen and Osborne and A younger brother of NATHANIEL RA was of Sir Walter Armstrong; and Herbert Hone. SAMUEL Hone Junior born in 1726 who worked first in Through Brindley’s second son descended Bishop Dublin as an artist and in 1754 went to Jamaica where he Hone of Wakefield and Sir Evelyn Hone, Governor of died. Nothing of his work is known to us. Northern Rhodesia. Two other grandsons of Samuel Senior are the Brindley's third son Addison 1773-97 had an only son ancestors of all extant Irish Hones, namely Joseph 1720- Brindley who married his cousin Anne Hone, by whom he 1799, a clothier in the Coombe, and Brindley 1734-1812, had nine sons, only one of whom married, namely the a pin merchant on Usher’s Quay. The descendants of fourth son NATHANIEL HONE RHA 1831-1917; he these two brothers constantly intermarried - with Hone married in 1872 Magdalen Jameson who died in 1919, marrying Hone the family tree is complicated. No their only child having died in infancy. His sister Mrs. relationship of the Irish Hones with the celebrated Moore had ten daughters and two sons, but as his English pamphleteer William Hone 1780-1842 has been eventual heir he chose Herbert Hone, mentioned above, a established. nephew of Mary Hart and Nannie Bellingham; he died in Although the Hones acquired lands in different parts 1954 without issue and bequeathed the collection to the of Ireland and were granted a Coat of Arms, they present owners. 4 Chronology by Julian Campbell 1831 26 October, birth of Nathaniel Hone, sixth child of 1903 Hone presents four pictures to form nucleus of Brindley and Anne Hone. proposed collection of Modern Art for Dublin. 1846 Nathaniel enters Trinity College, Dublin to study 1904 John Quinn visits Hone at St. Doulough’s, and Engineering and Science. starts collecting his work. 1850 Graduates with honors. Works as an engineer on 1907 Irish International Exhibition, Dublin. Midland Great Railway in Ireland. 1913 Fourteen pictures at Exhibition of Irish Art, 1853 Nathaniel departs for Paris to study art, with Yvon. Withechapel, London. 1854 Moves to atelier of Thomas Couture. Paints self- Two paintings at Armory Show, New York. portrait. 1916 James Wilcox paints two studies of Hone. 1855 Visit to Bourron-Marlotte. 1917 October, visit of Thomas Bodkin to St. Doulough’s. 1857 Hone visits Marlotte with Bohemian artist Pinkars. 14 October, death of Nathaniel Hone. Begins his career as a landscape painter. 1918 Magdalen Hone Bequest to National Gallery of Meets Millet, Jacque, and other members of Ireland. Barbizon school. Meets Corot and Courbet. 1919 Death of Magdalen Hone. 1858 Return visit to Dublin, and possible journey to 1921 May, exhibition of Hone Bequest at National Gallery Italy. of Ireland, 90 oils and 99 watercolours. c.1863 Hone moves to Bourron-Marlotte, near to 1925 Loan exhibition of Hone paintings, Belfast. Fontainebleau. 1951 208 oils and 336 watercolours from Hone Bequest permanently accepted by National Gallery of 1865-69 Exhibits at Paris Salon. Ireland. 1870 Brandon paints portrait of Hone. Outbreak of 1991 Nathaniel Hone Retrospective, National Gallery of Franco-Prussian war. Hone departs for Italy. Ireland. c.1872 Return to Ireland. 1996 Watercolours by Hone and Osborne, N.G.I. 1872 Marriage to Magdalen, daughter of John and Anne 2002 Hone studio exhibition, Gorry Gallery, Dublin. Jameson of St. Marnock’s, Malahide. 1876 Hone begins te exhibit at R.H.A. Continues to exhibit at R.H.A. nearly every year for the rest of his life. 1879 Hone becomes associate member, then full member of R.H.A. 1886-94 Exhibits at Dublin Art Club. 1888 June, visit to Germany. Journey along the Danube, probably to Constantinople. c.1890 Visit to Kilkee, Co. Clare. 1891-92 The Hones made an extented tour of the Mediterranean and the East: Venice, Corfu, Athens and Egypt. 1894 Becomes Professor of Painting at R.H.A. c.1895 Visit to Donegal. 1896 Hone moves to St. Doulough’s, Raheny, inherited from Nathaniel’s aunt. 1901 October-November, Loan Exhibition of Pictures by Hone and John B.