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Henry’s views of Irish towns were a result of his 1939 tour of Ireland with writer Sean O’Faolain for his book An Irish Journey. He accompanied him on several trips around Ireland, sketching landscape scenes in different towns. Turning his attention to the towns and cities of the country required a different approach to his rural landscape scenes. There is a topographical element which had to be taken into consideration, particularly as it was forming part of the official book illustrations.
‘How far is an artist justified in making alterations in the ‘layout’ of a scene? How much he may leave out & how much he may add?’ Questions Henry muses on in his letter to the purchaser of the work in 1945, the original of which accompanies this lot. Questions he ultimately is unable to answer but he recognises the need at times for artists to adapt or embellish a scene in order to present a more balanced composition.
In this instance Henry has left out the boats which were moored to the timber poles, which he left in place in another almost identical work also titled New Ross (S.B Kennedy no. 990). In both works the poles bisect the horizontal expanse of the water, offering a visual as well as physical tether point. One is poker straight and the other leans slightly to the left, warped by the pressure of holding numerous boat in place. The shadows cast by the poles are delicately rendered in black wavy lines on the waters’ surface.
The town of New Ross rises on the hillside on the east bank of the River Barrow. Uniform industrial buildings and warehouses line the dock, and figures can be seen moving along the waterfront, picked out in small touches of colour. The distinctive spires of the protestant church of St Mary’s and the Catholic church of the Immaculate Conception, are visible in the skyline. Both churches are parallel to each other positioned on either side of Chapel Lane and Church Street. Henry overlays them, compressing the distance, so both are visible simultaneously.
The palette is typical of Henry’s works, light blues, whites and grey tones. The relatively small section of skyline is still visually impressive, with large billowing white clouds parting briefly in the centre allowing a glimpse of clear blue sky beyond. The reflections are picked out in the waters’ surface, with broad strokes of white paint, and a bolder block of uninterrupted blue stretches across the width of the canvas, petering out to expose the brush marks and weft of canvas underneath.
The trees are in full bloom, emerging from behind rooftops, softening the harsher lines of the buildings and offering glimpses of nature and green spaces in the town. These series’ of townscapes offer a different side to Henry’s oeuvre, celebrating the urban landscape, through its distinct architectural character.
Important Irish Art catalogue online now.
Viewing begins Friday, 13th November.
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John ffrench was an instrumental figure in the design industry in Ireland and a distinguished pioneer of Irish studio pottery.
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"I should declare my hand. I have a weakness for pictures that punch above their physical weight, and for artists who have been quietly underrated for too long. This pair is both. They are intimate enough to live with at close quarters and serious enough to repay any amount of looking. If the market has lately shown signs of catching up with eighteenth-century Irish painting and I think it has, these two small panels feel, to me, like exactly the sort of thing that will look obvious in twenty years’ time."
Adam’s is honoured to present works from the collection of Lord Rossmore in the upcoming Country House Collections auction at Howth Castle on 28th April. It is seldom that an influential Irish family collection that has survived through the generations comes to the open market.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
