Attributed to Martin Cregan (1788-1870) – Portrait of a Lady (700-1,100) UPDATE: THIS MADE 550 AT HAMMER
This portrait of a lady, by repute Lady Mary Stewart, by Martin Cregan comes up at Mealy’s summer sale in Castlecomer on July 12. A noted portrait painter Martin Cregan (1788-1870) was one of the founders of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1823. Subsequently as president of the RHA Cregan, who was very involved with artistic circles in London, became anxious about the quality and standards in the annual RHA exhibition in Ireland. So he wrote to his friend John Constable for assistance. Constable replied by sending two pictures for inclusion in the Irish annual exhibition.
Mealy’s sale includes paintings, furniture, silver, ceramics, glass, rare books, works of art, and other decorative arts, from the collection of Professor Anne Crookshank, one of Ireland’s most distinguished art historians. Formerly Keeper of Art at the Ulster Museum, Belfast, Professor Crookshank founded the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Trinity College Dublin and has played a leading role in the establishing of Irish art history. She now lives in retirement in Donegal.