Adam's IMPORTANT IRISH ART 9th December 2020

www.adams.ie Important Irish Art | 9 th December 2020 117 102 EDWIN HAYES RHA (1819 - 1904) Shipping off Falmouth with Pendennis Castle Oil on canvas, 71 x 122cm (28 x 48”) Signed and dated 1871 € 8,000 - 12,000 Falmouth is a harbour town on the eastern coast of Cornwall in southwest England. Pendennis Castle rises high above the harbour and commands a view of the surrounding coast. It was an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII between 1540 and 1542 and formed part of the King’s Device programme to protect against inva- sion from France. The original and distinctive circular keep and gun platform was expanded at the end of the 16th century to cope with the increasing Spanish threat, with a ring of extensive stone ramparts and bastions built around the older castle. It is an iconic building and one that would have been and still is familiar to many sailors approaching Falmouth from the sea. It is no surprise that Hayes used it as a very recognisable back- drop to this maritime scene, masterfully depicted as we have come to expect from Hayes. His skill at painting the sea in all its moods is testament to his understanding of the sea being an accomplished sailor himself.