206
650
ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS ROBERTS (1748 - 1777)
(1746-1824)
A Wooded Landscape, with a drover and cattle, a ruined castle on a hill, a river valley in the distance
Oil on canvas, 76 x 103.5cm
In old gilt-wood frame
Provenance: Beaulieu House, Drogheda, Co. Louth, sold by order of the Executors
€10000 - 15000
The attributions of Irish idealised landscapes of the 18th century gives rise to much discussion. As the note to the
previous lot shows, the genre was inspired by Van der Hagen and continued through Butts and Carver. Certainly
the composition of the present lot is close to Carver. However the treatment of the ruins on a crag to the left and
the subtle evening light and slightly green hues to the receeding central distance set off by a sheet of water is the
epitome of Roberts.
Even with some paint loss and over-painting of tree foliage this painting stands direct comparison with the recently
re-discovered
Wooded River Landscape with Figures on a Path and Monastic Ruins
(see Laffan and Rooney,
Two
New Works by Thomas Roberts,
Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies, Vol XV)
