Last Bastion of the Old Theatre Royal by Harry Kernoff – a rare record of Dublin past – comes up at Sotheby’s timed online Irish art sale which closes this afternoon with an estimate of £15,000-£25,000. Kernoff painted the remains of the Second Theatre Royal, which closed its doors in 1934, and was demolished shortly after. The first Theatre Royal was built 1821 and destroyed by fire in 1880. In 1897, the actor-manager Frederick Mouillot and a group of Dublin businessmen set about rebuilding the historic site, which was eventually redesigned by Frank Matcham. The theatre was noted for its opera and musical comedy, and in later years it was converted into a cinema. Mouillot worked tirelessly to draw in big name stars and companies to perform. In the early 1900s the theatre attracted Edward VII, who attended a state performance, and Charlie Chaplin, who performed as part of a musical act. A third Theatre Royal was built in 1935, and was a lively feature of the Dublin nightlife well into the 1960s.
Kernoff was extremely in the theatrical community and like his contemporary Lilian Lucy Davidson produced theatre designs throughout his career. In Kernoff’s portrayal, the theatre retains a certain a sense of its former glory, towering above the street like a medieval Cathedral.
UPDATE: Village on the Hill by Gerard Dillon made £94,500 over a top estimate of £60,000 and Paul Henry’s Entrance to Killarney Harbour made £75,600 over a top estimate of £60,000.