Painting of kid playing the whistle

Subject: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Whistleworks
Date: 31 May 01 - 08:46 AM

Dear Friends,

Several years ago, I saw the cover of a book of Irish verse which had a painting on it of a little kid playing the whistle. It was a rather dark and dreary scene which may date the painting to over a hundred years. The kid may have been standing (or sitting) in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral or maybe a generic church. The credit said that it hung in one of the national galleries in Dublin. I would love to know if this can be seen anywhere on the net and maybe the title, artist, or anything that I can find out. Perhaps even that gallery in Dublin may sell prints or posters of this painting.

Thanks so much for any help you can give.

Bob Pegritz

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 31 May 01 - 09:08 PM

Penguin Book of Irish Verse,1970,ed.Brendan Kennelly.Cover shows detail from picture "St Patrick's Close" by Walter Osborne in National Gallery of Ireland.Looks like street scene from late 19th century.Walter Frederick Osborne RHA (1859-1903)had, apparently, become Ireland's leading and most fashionable portrait painter at the date of his death in 1903,so the kind of genre painting depicted may have been quite unusual for him.I daresay there is a website for the National Gallery,and I'm sure some kind soul out there will be able to direct you to it.
Good luck!

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 31 May 01 - 09:30 PM

Look here. It's a different picture, but there's a boy playing a pipe- does it look like the same Walter Osborne?

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 31 May 01 - 09:31 PM

Part of the text reads: "The figure of the boy playing the pipe has strong echoes of the boy playing the whistle in one of Osbome's best-known paintings "Near St. Patrick's Close" (National Gallery of Ireland), so "Piping Times" may equally well be of an Irish subject."

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 31 May 01 - 09:46 PM

The National Gallery does have a website atNational Gallery
I'm new to bluclickies so this may not work.please tell me if it does.Actually the site doesn't give much detailed information.
I have just checked in my copy of Three hundred years of Irish Watercolours and Drawingswhere a different painter Rose Maynard Barton(1856-1929)is credited with "a Dublin watercolour...St Patrick's Close",so the attribution in the Penguin may be wrong.The description given (no illustration provided)sounds very like the picture on the Penguin book which has stuck in Bob's memory all these years.
"There are two planes,the lower,darker marketplace and above it the brighter building with the steeple...the technique helps to evoke a squalid marketplace atmosphere"
It would be interesting to know if Penguin got the name wrong,or if something else is going on here.Is there any Mudcatter who lives in Dublin who can check this out at the Gallery?

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Whistleworks
Date: 01 Jun 01 - 09:33 AM

Dear Friends,

Matthew Edwards hit it smack on the nose. Even the Penguin book part. And Animaterra was kind to allow me to see "Piping Times" which is a very similar to the boy in "Close". I called the National Gallery thanks to Matthew's blue clicky and found that they have a print of this painting which is already in the mail to me. So the bottom line is that once again, this forum RULES.

A very grateful Bob Pegritz

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 01 Jun 01 - 02:28 PM

Well I'm delighted the blue clickie worked, and pleased Bob has been able to get hold of a print.For what its worth the picture can be found on the Net at a site titled Irish Impressionists at http://gotoirish.However the link is a bit unreliable - I found myself being redirected to "Carib Casino"! while trying to use the site.
There is an extremely long URL for the Walter Osborne page Walter Osborne If this works great,but don't expect a miracle.
Best wishes,Matthew.

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Jun 01 - 02:34 PM

I'll bet this is the painting you want: "St. Patrick's Close, Dublin". And this page gives more links to pictures by Walter Osborne.

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 01 Jun 01 - 02:42 PM

Nice work,Jim.My link led nowhere when I tried to follow it back!

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Whistleworks
Date: 01 Jun 01 - 03:16 PM

Jim and Matthew again hit the nail on the head. That link that Jim has shows EXACTLY the painting that I was looking for. Thanks to everyone for the help. You guys are the best.

Bob

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 01 Jun 01 - 06:18 PM

Great picture- almost haunting!

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: mousethief
Date: 01 Jun 01 - 06:23 PM

Cool backlighting. Osborne knew his stuff.

Alex

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 01 Jun 01 - 07:33 PM

If I were, say, decorating a pub or restaurant, I think it would be cool to have a bunch of paintings (or reproductions of paintings) of traditional musicians. Just for fun, I've found a couple more images on the Internet:

"A Blind Piper" by George Grattan.

"The Blind Piper" (also known as "The Limerick Piper) by Joseph Haverty.

If anybody knows of any others, I'd love to see you post them here.

Subject: RE: Painting of kid playing the whistle
From: Manitas
Date: 02 Jun 01 - 04:00 PM

That's interesting, the Grattan piper appears to be playing a set of half-longs, I presume, from the clothing, that the uillean pipes we know now had yet to develop?