Purchased by Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe (1858-1945)

Crewe House, London, Inventory, Vol. 2, 1913, p.106, in Lobby;
Manuscript Catalogue of Pictures at West Horsley, n.d., vol. 3, p. 78;
An Inventory […] of Pictures at West Horsley Place, Surrey, The property of the Marquess of Crewe, 1938, p. 21

The canvas is laid onto board. The surface is dirty and should benefit from a light clean, otherwise the work appears in good overall condition. Under ultraviolet light there appear to be no signs of retouching. Held in a gilt composite frame with a canvas inset.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Walter Osborne is represented by a number of works in the present collection together with other Irish artists such as Rose Barton and Mildred Anne Butler. The inclusion of such Irish works derives from Lord Houghton's political career as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (the British monarch's official representative) in the Liberal administration of 1892-1895. By this time, the position of Lord Lieutenant was largely symbolic, with the Chief Secretary having the central role over the Irish administration. 

In the mid 1890s, Walter Osborne was commissioned to paint the official portrait of ▨Lord Houghton, now in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery. It is testament to Lord Houghton's rapport with Osborne and his a𓂃rtistic eye that he purchased a number of significant works by Osborne, seen in the present collection.  

The present work together with the following lot, Return from Galway Market, are significant rediscoveries within Osborne’s oeuvre, having been out of public view for over a century. Executed circa 1893, they belong to an important but often overlooked part of Osborne’s career when he visited Galway and Connemara, capturing life in the West of Ireland. Up until this point, Osborne had been chiefly working in England and Europe, closely associated with his English contemporaries of the Newlyn School and the New English Art Club, such as Walter Sickert, Philip Wilson Steer, George Clausen, Stanhope Forbes and Fred Hall. Together these artists looked to France, and were strongly influenced by the French naturalist Jules Bastien-Lepage, embracing plein air painting, rural subject matter and a ‘square brush’ technique in🌊 contrast to traditional conven🍌tion.

On Osborne’s return to Ireland in 1892, his work over the following years became increasingly painterly, with looser, bolder brushwork and more adventurous use of colour. Their too became a greater interest in people and how their lives shaped the places and subjects of his pictures. Such developments are evident in the present work which small in scale, is executed swiftly en plein air in a more radical, impressionistic style emphasising atmosphere over detail. Its appearance on the market for the first time reinforces the importance of this pe♎riod of Osborne's career, portraying a way of life that was rapidly altering at the close of the nineteenth century and embodying the artistic principles and innovations that placed Osborne as one of the most important and influential Irish artists of his generation.