ADAM'S IMPORTANT IRISH ART 25 MARCH 2026

24 11 DANIEL O’NEILL (1920-1974) Lady Wearing a Lace Mantilla Oil on board, 43.5 x 38cm (17’’ x 15’’) Signed € 20,000 - 30,000 Female portraiture is a common theme in Daniel O’Neill’s work, often depicting these figures with similar attributes, large brown eyes, sallow skin, and dark hair. In this present work, the figure and her wonderfully detailed lace headdress and shawl, dominates the picture frame. He has applied the brushstrokes quickly and in varying directions to enliven the object and used a restrained palette of colours in varying blues and whites. He limits the background in order to direct our attention to the texture of both the lace itself and the paint used to create it. In these works, the physical material of the figures’ clothing becomes as important as depicting the subject’s features. The shawl cascades around her head and shoulders, the lace panel of her dress mirrored in the one cover- ing her forehead. O’Neill has painted these sections with incredible lightness of touch, carefully sketching out the diamond pattern fabric, transparent against her skin. She turns her head to one side looking downwards, accentuating the elegant line of her nose. Her features are dominated by prominent strong brows, almond shaped eyes and her delicate lips coloured in rouge. From her ears hang two blue glass pendant droplets accompanied by a matching necklace. Her expression is slightly sombre, hinting at an emotional depth beyond the surface. This work marries other portrait scenes by O’Neill, often described as ‘ Spanish Women ,’ with charac- teristically continental features. His travels in Europe certainly sparked interest in Spanish culture and he depicted a quintessential figure of Spain The Mata- dor in a work from 1949. They form a significant part of his artistic output, most often depicted head and shoulder length portraits, close up compositions that hold our attention through the beauty of the form and subject matter. Niamh Corcoran, March 2026