William J. Hennessy Paintings & Artwork for Sale | William J. Hennessy Art Value Price Guide

Oct. 14, 2024
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (IRISH-AMERICAN 1839 - 1917) Kathleen Hennessy, Peeping Through The Curtains Oil on canvas, 107 x 68cm Labelled verso
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (IRISH-AMERICAN 1839 - 1917) Kathleen Hennessy, Peeping Through The Curtains Oil on canvas, 107 x 68cm Labelled verso
Adam's
May. 17, 2024
William John Hennessy, NA (Irish/American, 1839-1917) Oil on Canvas 1881, "En Fete, Calvados", H 41" W 26"
Est: $10,000 - $20,000
The composition includes four Burgundians from the Calvados region of France picking flowers in preparation for a party or festival. The Saint-Valery church in Varengeville-sur-Mer is seen in the distance. Signed and dated lower left: "W.J. Hennessy 1881". This work was exhibited at the Royal Academy, London exhibition of 1882. Retains original Royal Academy exhibition label on canvas verso. This work is also listed in the "Royal Academy of Arts Annual Exhibition Records" as being Hennessy's sole work in the 1882 exhibition. In period, likely original, Florentine frame. W.J. Hennessy became an Academician to the National Academy in 1863 and lived in New York until 1870 when he moved to London and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1861-1882. Hennessy was also a member of the Royal Institute of British Painters. Literature: An 1882 Engraving of this work was published and illustrated on p. 27 of Vol II of: "The Gallery of Contemporary Art, Gebbie & Co. Publisher, Philadelphia, 1885. Provenance: Purchased 1991 from Apple & Carpenter Fine Art, Sarasota, FL by Robert & Marjorie Stahlman, Grosse Isle, MI. By family descent.
DuMouchelles
Sep. 27, 2023
William John Hennessy ROI (1839-1917) A Woman in White with Peacocks by a Fountain: (Baroness Methuen (née Eleanor Norah Hennessy) at Corsham Court, Wiltshire) Oil on canvas, 76 x 91 cm. (29.2 x 35.8) Old stock label, verso
Est: €3,000 - €5,000
William John Hennessy ROI (1839-1917) A Woman in White with Peacocks by a Fountain: (Baroness Methuen (née Eleanor Norah Hennessy) at Corsham Court, Wiltshire) Oil on canvas, 76 x 91 cm. (29.2 x 35.8) Old stock label, verso Provenance: BY descent from the artist; Paul Ayshford Methuen, 4th Baron Methuen (1886-1974); his sale, Sotheby's, 8 November 1984, lot 39 With its hints of symbolist, or Aesthetic Movement, refinement, this elegant composition documents the, perhaps surprising, connection between the family of an Irish artist and one of Englands great houses. A young woman, dressed demurely in white, but holding a bright red fan, which forms the focal point of the composition sits by a fountain in a landscape dappled by strong summer light. The woman at the centre of this initially enigmatic scene is Eleanor Norah (1872-1958) daughter of Kilkenny artist William John Hennessy who married Paul Ayshford Methuen, 4th Baron Methuen, a talented painter and later member of the Royal Academy. Norah, as she was usually known, is shown in the gardens of her new home of Corsham Court in Wiltshire, a treasure house of art. Lady Methuen is accompanied by two of the peacocks for which Corsham is famous they roam the court and the towns streets freely. The work dates from the very end of Hennessys life, presumably between Norahs marriage in 1915 and the artists death two year later and the tight style of Hennessys earlier work in Normandy has loosened under the influence of several trends in recent art. There are clear echoes of Art Nouveau in the swirling composition; of Whistler in the woman-in-white-with-fan motif and also in the iconography of the peacock and of Japanese prints in the multiple viewing points: the woman is shown at close to eye-level while the path progressing out of the picture is depicted as if from a noticeably elevated angle. Hennessy had had to flee Ireland after his fathers involvement in the Young Ireland rising in 1848 and there is something pleasing in his ending his life painting his eligible young daughter in the idyllic grounds of Corsham Court, laid out by Capability Brown, while there is a neat circularity in the fact that the house would later become home through the generosity of his daughters husband to the Bath Academy of Art, associated with artists such as William Scott and William Crozier.
Adam's
Nov. 05, 2022
IRISH MIXED MEDIA PAINTING BY WILLIAM J HENNESSY
Est: $100 - $150
William John Hennessy, Irish American, 1839 to 1917, mixed media, pencil, pen and ink with wash heightened with white, painting on paper depicting a scene with young ladies and a peacock in the garden. Signed lower left. Inscribed in pencil on the back. William John Hennessy was born in Thomastown, County Kilkenny in 1839. He gained admittance to the National Academy of Design in 1854 and exhibitioned his first works there. Hennessy was very skilled in wood engraving and was hired to illustrate the works of renowned poets, including that of Tennyson, Longfellow and Whittier. As an American he became the co-founder of the Artists' Fund Society, and an honorary member of the American Society of Painters in Watercolours. One of a kind artwork.
Antique Arena Inc
Oct. 27, 2020
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) British The Flower Seller (1874)
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) British The Flower Seller (1874) oil on canvas signed lower right and dated 1874 h:122 w:91.50 cm. Provenance: Christie's, London, The Irish Sale, 22 May 1998, Lot 99; Collection of Ronnie Wood; Private Collection Wearing a long green skirt and white smock, her dark hair partly covered by a colourful scarf, a flower-seller sits on a stone bench, holding a flower-probably a white phlox. On the bench beside her lie primroses, while at her feet is a basket of chrysanthemums and phlox. The flower seller's soulful expression invests the painting with a sentimental appeal, one heightened by the flowers, and the humble street setting. Hennessy's paintings generally depict women and children in idyllic garden, woodland or seaside settings. Influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, and by Japanese art, his work is literal and representational, with a strong narrative quality, but has also a strong decorative and sentimental appeal. Sometimes, as with paintings such as The Flower-Seller and The Shrimpers, Hennessy represented women at work, but more often they are depicted at leisure, in conversation, or gazing out to sea. Although born in the same year as Cezanne, throughout his career Hennessy adhered to the aesthetic and style developed by the Barbizon painters in the 1840's, his work not dissimilar to that of Walter Osborne, Joseph Malachy Kavanagh and Frank O'Meara. Born in Thomastown Co. Kilkenny in 1839, when he just ten years old, William John Hennessy, along with his mother and sister, joined their father John, who had fled to New York city because of his involvement with the Young Ireland movement. Growing up in Manhattan, in 1854, Hennessy enrolled in the National Academy of Design. Three years later, while living at 87 Franklin St, he showed his first work at the Academy, and in 1863 became a member. Around 1868, he married Charlotte Mather, from New Haven, and in 1870 the couple moved to London, where he became a member of the Royal Institute. He also showed at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and the Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts. In 1877, at the Royal Academy, he showed Notre Dame des Flots, a painting depicting a woman and child in a Breton church, and the following year was represented by Summer Evening by the Thames, depicting two bathers on the river bank. Hennessy's 1879 The Pride of Dijon depicts a couple in earnest conversation, on a terrace above a garden. He also exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin; between 1879 and 1907 showing eight paintings there. In 1883, at the Grosvenor Gallery he showed With the Birds, another of the decorative paintings of women in woodlands, for which he was well-known. There is also a strong narrative quality in most of Hennessy's paintings, as in The Return from School, where two children fight by the roadside, watched dispassionately by their class mates. His Twixt Day and Night, a painting reminiscent of the work of Frank O'Meara, depicts a young woman and an old woman holding a child, walking by a lake edge, above which a moon rises. Hennessy was an accomplished illustrator, mainly of children's books and poetry. For The Song of the Sower, by William Cullen Bryant, published in New York in 1871, he produced forty-two wood engravings. In 1883 he illustrated Samuel White Baker's True Tales for my Grandson, and nine years later, An Enchanted Garden, a book of fairy stories by Mary Louisa Molesworth; both books were published in London. He also illustrated works by Tennyson, Longfellow, Edwin Booth and Whittier. During the late 1870's and early 1880's, Hennessy spent summer months in Normandy, living close to Honfleur. His An Impressionist at Work; Scene in a Normandy Cider Orchard was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1881, and the following year he showed En Fete, Calvados. His Fete Day in a Cider Orchard, Normandy, painting in 1878, is in the Ulster Museum. In 1886, Hennessy settled at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a town on the Seine, on the outskirts of Paris, where he painted scenes in the locality. After touring Italy, he finally settled with his family in Sussex in 1893. His daughter Eleanor (Nora) married the artist Paul Metheun, of Corsham Court in Wiltshire. Peter Murray, October 2020
Morgan O'Driscoll
Jul. 13, 2020
William John Hennessy (Irish, 1839-1917) Two figures in a clearing 10 x 13in (25.4 x 33cm)
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
William John Hennessy (Irish, 1839-1917) Two figures in a clearing oil on board 10 x 13in (25.4 x 33cm) For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Bonhams
Oct. 01, 2018
William John Hennessy NA ROI (1839-1917) GARDEN PATH
Est: €2,000 - €3,000
William John Hennessy NA ROI (1839-1917) GARDEN PATH
Whyte's
Sep. 18, 2016
William J. Hennessy "The Music Lesson" Genre NY
Est: $1,600 - $2,000
Art,Painting,Oil,William J. Hennessy "The Music Lesson" Genre NY,1839-1917, NY, CT, France, UK. (Kennedy Galleries label on reverse: William J. Hennessy, The Music Lesson, 1861 oil on canvas) AskArt auction hi $94k in 2007. Live Auctioneer auction hi $10k in 2015.,,12 1/2H_10 1/2W
East Coast Fine Arts
Mar. 25, 2016
WILLIAM J. HENNESSY O/C
Est: $4,000 - $8,000
(1839-1917) WELL DONE SCENE WITH A COUPLE LOOKING OUT TO A HARBOR WITH BOATS - SIGNED LOWER LEFT - DATED NEW YORK 1864 - EXCELLENT FRAME
Hartzell's Auction Gallery, Inc.
Dec. 02, 2015
William John Hennessy (1839-1917)The BallonOil on canvas
Est: €4,000 - €6,000
William John Hennessy (1839-1917)The BallonOil on canvas, 67 x 82cm (26¼ x 32¼)SignedWilliam John Hennessy was born in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny but moved to the United States when he was only ten, following his father who had fled Ireland due to his participation in the Young Irelanders uprising. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York and quickly achieved recognition. However, in 1870 Hennessy and his wife moved to England. It was in France, particularly the Calvados region of Normandy where Hennessy acquired much of his inspiration, spending each summer there. In 1875 he moved to France, renting a manor on the coast near Honfleur. He produced iconic works such as ''Fete Day in a Cider Orchard, Normandy, which is in the Ulster Museum Collection. Hugh Lane included Hennessy in the 1904 exhibition of Irish Painters at the Guildhall London, where he exhibited ''Twixt Day and Night, Calvados''.This particular work is based on a well-known painting Le Ballon by Julian Dupré which was in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York from 1887 until 1928 when it was acquired by Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery in Pennsylvania in whose collection it remains. Whether Hennessy saw the picture in New York or before that on one of his yearly summer painting trips to Normandy is unknown but the composition is very similar.
Adam's
Oct. 29, 2015
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY, British (1839-1917), Two Women in a Landscape, oil sketch, signed with artist's monogram and dated 1870 lower..
Est: $2,500 - $3,500
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY British (1839-1917) Two Women in a Landscape oil sketch, signed with artist's monogram and dated 1870 lower right. 6 x 7 7/8 Provenance: Alexander Gallery, New York; Acquired from the above in 2003; Property of an American Collection. Other Notes: Inscribed on reverse: W.J. Hennessey, the (illegible) maker, painted by W.J. Hennessey the American artist at Daldy's Farm, Golding Hill, Loughton, Essex, probably painted about 1870, they were friends of Robin Allen, Woodhouse Hill in Loughton.
Shannon's
Oct. 25, 2015
William John Hennessy (American 1839-1917) Oil Painting
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
William John Hennessy (American 1839-1917) Oil Painting. Depicting woman by a wood burning stove. Measures - 13 1/2" high x 9" wide, + 5" frame. Comes with condition report. Signed lower left, dated 1860.
Bruce Kodner Galleries
Oct. 11, 2015
William John Hennessy (American 1839-1917) Oil Painting
Est: $2,000 - $3,000
William John Hennessy (American 1839-1917) Oil Painting. Depicting woman by a wood burning stove. Measures - 13 1/2" high x 9" wide, + 5" frame. Comes with condition report. Signed lower left, dated 1860.
Bruce Kodner Galleries
Sep. 12, 2015
William Hennessy (1839-1917), "...for Longfellow"
Est: $600 - $900
oil on canvas, unsigned, inscribed on the top stretcher "Wm. J. Hennessy / pinxt 1866 / (illegible) for Longfellow," presented in a period gilt composition frame. SS 13.5 x 17 in.; DOA 23.5 x 26.5 in.
Leland Little Auctions
May. 27, 2015
William John Hennessy (1839-1917)An Impression of Springtime, Calvados (190
Est: €5,000 - €7,000
William John Hennessy (1839-1917)An Impression of Springtime, Calvados (1901)Oil on canvas, 96 x 60cm (38 x 24)Signed, inscribed with title, dedicated 'For dear Leon, from his beau pÌ©re' and dated 1901Provenance: Richard York Galleries, New York
Adam's
May. 02, 2015
WILLIAM J. HENNESSY (British/American, 1839-1917) Woman
Est: $7,000 - $10,000
WILLIAM J. HENNESSY (British/American, 1839-1917) Woman in an Autumn Landscape, 1868 Oil on canvas 12-1/2 x 17 inches (31.8 x 43.2 cm) Signed and dated lower right: WJHennessy Oct 1868 FROM THE JEAN AND GRAHAM DEVOE WILLIFORD CHARITABLE TRUST This radiant Pre-Raphaelite scene of 1868 achieves its optical dazzle through a vivid red underpainting that vibrates against the contrasting blues and greens in the landscape. It is a high-career work by the versatile Irish-born genre painter and illustrator William John Hennessy. Born in County Kilkenny, he soon joined his father John Hennessy in Canada where the latter had fled from the British authorities following his involvement with the Young Ireland movement of 1848. Moving with his parents to New York, the young William Hennessy began drawing while still in his early teens, and at fifteen attended the National Academy of Design to study painting. In 1857, he first showed at the National Academy in New York, to which he was elected as a full member in 1863. He illustrated the works of American poets such as Tennyson, Longfellow and Whittier.
Heritage Auctions
Apr. 01, 2015
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) 'Moya', Portrait of the artist's daughter
Est: €2,000 - €4,000
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) 'Moya', Portrait of the artist's daughter dressed in theatrical costume Oil on canvas, 137 x 76cm (54 x 30'') Provenance: By descent in the family of the sitter
Adam's
Apr. 01, 2015
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) The Enchanted Lake Oil on canvas, 138 x 7
Est: €2,000 - €4,000
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) The Enchanted Lake Oil on canvas, 138 x 76cm (54¼ x 30'') Provenance: By descent in the artist's family
Adam's
Feb. 22, 2015
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (British, 1839-1917). JAPANESE GIRLS COLLECTION BLOSSOMS, signed lower left. Oil on canvas.
Est: $500 - $700
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (British, 1839-1917). JAPANESE GIRLS COLLECTION BLOSSOMS, signed lower left. Oil on canvas - Framed, 8 in. x 9 1/2 in.
Sloans & Kenyon
Feb. 21, 2015
William John Hennessy (Irish/Canadian, 1839-1917) "An Impression of Springtime"
Est: $4,000 - $6,000
Sgn. Lower left. An Impression of Springtime, Calvados, For Dear Leon, from his (?), W.J. Hennessey, 1901. Oil/canvas.
Cottone Auctions
Feb. 21, 2015
William John Hennessy (Irish/Canadian, 1839-1917) Mother & daughters in springtime
Est: $15,000 - $25,000
Sgn. Lower left, W.J. Hennessey. Oil on canvas.
Cottone Auctions
Dec. 10, 2014
William John Hennessy
Est: £15,000 - £25,000
William John Hennessy
Sotheby's
Sep. 21, 2014
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (British, 1839-1917). JAPANESE GIRLS COLLECTION BLOSSOMS, signed lower left. Oil on canvas.
Est: $800 - $1,200
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (British, 1839-1917). JAPANESE GIRLS COLLECTION BLOSSOMS, signed lower left. Oil on canvas - Framed, 8 in. x 9 1/2 in.
Sloans & Kenyon
May. 20, 2014
William John Hennessy, R.O.I., P.S., N.A. (1840-1917)
Est: £1,200 - £1,800
William John Hennessy, R.O.I., P.S., N.A. (1840-1917) >The three beauties by moonlight<br>oil on canvas, unframed >54 x 29.34 in. (137.2 x 75.6 cm.)
Christie's
May. 20, 2014
William John Hennessy, R.O.I., P.S., N.A. (1840-1917)
Est: £1,200 - £1,800
William John Hennessy, R.O.I., P.S., N.A. (1840-1917) >Portrait of Moya Hennessey, the artist's daughter, aged about 10, standing full length, in an elaborate costume and carrying a basket of flowers<br>oil on canvas laid over board >53.34 x 30 in. (136.5 x 76.2 cm.)
Christie's
Jan. 28, 2014
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (1840-1917) Still Life,
Est: €800 - €1,200
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (1840-1917) Still Life, Study of Flowers Oil on canvas, 37 x 69 cm Signed and dated 1873
Adam's
Oct. 24, 2013
William John Hennessy (Irish, 1839-1917) The Flower Seller, 48 x 36in.
Est: £8,000 - £12,000
William John Hennessy (Irish, 1839-1917) oil on canvas, The Flower Seller, signed and dated 1874, 48 x 36in.
Gorringes
Mar. 26, 2013
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) The Shrimpers
Est: €10,000 - €20,000
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) The Shrimpers (1886) Oil on canvas, 61 x 123cm (24 x 48½'') Signed and dated 1886 lower left William John Hennessy's early life was marked by the dramatic events of mid-nineteenth-century Ireland. Born in 1839 at Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, Hennessy and his mother and a brother, followed his father into exile when he was only ten years old. His father, John Hennessy, a participant of the Young Ireland uprising, had fled the country a year earlier, in 1848, arriving in Canada and then settling in New York. Hennessy's formative years were thus spent in New York and he was educated at the National Academy of Design, where he enrolled at the age of fifteen. In 1861 he was elected as an associate at the same institution and became an academician two years later, in 1863. Amidst his flourishing recognition and firm establishment as one of the leading Pre-Raphaelites working in America, Hennessy returned to the British Isles. Already renowned as an extraordinarily successful painter, illustrator and honorary member of American Society of Painters in Watercolour, he moved to London where he became a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, showing his works at the Royal Academy (1871-82), at the Grosvenor Gallery and the New Gallery. His genre scenes in particular became immensely popular, demonstrating his development of Victorian aesthetics, the play of the painting's intrigue, its narrative and the title, to a sophisticated perfection. His luminous, exquisitely colourful landscapes were also strongly admired amongst his contemporaries and Hennessy was considered a virtuoso in depiction of skies. Like his Irish contemporaries Walter Frederick Osborne and Sir John Lavery. Hennessy travelled frequently on the Continent. France became one of his favourite destinations and in particular, the landscapes of Normandy where he spent summers at the picturesque port of Honfleur and around the Calvados region, painting some of his most important, iconic genre scenes such as ''Fete Day in a Cider Orchard'' (Coll. Ulster Museum Belfast). His fresh rustic subject matter and handling of works painted in the area bear similarities to the Barbizon school and are also comparable to the works of Frank O'Meara and Egerton Coghill. In 1886, Hennessy moved to Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where he lived until 1893 and some sources record him studying in Paris before 1900 and exhibiting at the Paris Exposition in 1903 including works such as ''Waiting for the Boats - Coast of Calvados''; ''Feeding Pigeons - Mareil, Marly'' (1901) and ''A sketch of Bordighera, Italy''. In 1893 Hennessy returned to Britain, settling in Sussex. Towards the end of his life he paid tribute to his Irish roots and identity by showing mostly at exhibitions dedicated to Irish art - an exhibition of Irish painters organised by Hugh lane at London's Guildhall in 1904, at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin in 1906 and at Irish International Exhibition in Dublin in 1907.
Adam's
Dec. 04, 2012
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) Meeting Under
Est: €5,000 - €8,000
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) Meeting Under The Apple Tree, Normandy Oil on canvas, 35.5 x 56cm (14 x 22'') Signed Exhibited: ''The French Connection'' The AVA Gallery Clandeboye Aug/Sept 2010, The Hunt Museum, Limerick Sept/Oct 2010, Cat. No. 6 Literature: ''The French Connection'' Full Page Illustration p11 William John Hennessy was born in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny but moved to the United States when he was only ten, following his father who had fled Ireland due to his participation in the Young Irelander's uprising. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York and quickly achieved recognition. However, in 1870 Hennessy and his wife moved to England. It was in France, particularly the Calvados region of Normandy where Hennessy acquired much of his inspiration, spending each summer there. In 1875 he moved to France, renting a manor on the coast near Honfleur. He produced iconic works such as ''Fete Day in a Cider Orchard, Normandy, which is in the Ulster Museum Collection, and interestingly this same couple in similar pose feature as part of that work. Hugh Lane included Hennessy in the 1904 exhibition of Irish Painters at the Guildhall London, where he exhibited ''Twixt Day and Night, Calvados''
Adam's
Oct. 27, 2012
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (IRISH, 1839-1917)
Est: $25,000 - $30,000
"The Flower Seller," oil on canvas. Signed and dated "W.J. Hennessy 1874" lower right. In ebonized and giltwood frame. 48 by 36 inches; 52 by 40 1/2 inches, framed PROVENANCE Lot 99, "The Irish Sale," Christie's, London, Sale number 5956, May 22, 1998
Julien's Auctions
Jun. 12, 2012
William John Hennessy (Ireland, 1839-1920), young
Est: £4,000 - £5,000
William John Hennessy (Ireland, 1839-1920), young girl with sunlit bonnet and a basket of redcurrants, signed and framed (37¢ x 15¢").
Chiswick Auctions
Oct. 10, 2011
GARDEN PATH
Est: €3,500 - €4,500
GARDEN PATH
Whyte's
Apr. 06, 2011
William John Hennessy (1840-1917) Still life,
Est: €1,500 - €2,500
William John Hennessy (1840-1917) Still life, study of flowers Oil on canvas, 37 x 69 cm Signed and dated 1873
Adam's
Dec. 06, 2010
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) A Summer Evening
Est: €7,000 - €10,000
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) A Summer Evening Oil on canvas, 122 x 61cm (48 x 24") Signed and dated 1886. Signed, inscribed with title and 107 Piccadilly, London verso Provenance: G. and C. Sadde, Dijon, France It is tempting to suggest that the theme of this painting was influenced by the legend of 'Leda and the Swan'. The story is taken from Greek mythology. Leda was the daughter of Thestius, the Aetolian king; wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta, and mother of Helen of Troy whose father was Zeus. The myth describes Leda's rescue of Zeus who, in the guise of a swan, was pursued by an eagle. It became a popular theme in Renaissance art and was the subject matter of a lost painting by Michelangelo. The theme has been reproduced through the centuries to the present day. However, the title of the present painting, A Summer Evening, clearly inscribed on the stretcher, may suggest that the presence of the swan is merely coincidental. Summer time is indicated by the wildflowers in the foreground, lit by the rising moon, and even if Hennessy was inspired by the ancient legend, his interpretation is far removed from the traditional version. The lighting is very delicately handled; a gentle swathe of moonlight breaks through a gap in the trees and highlights the foaming waterfall as it tumbles into the lake. The still water in the foreground reflects the green bank to the left and the dark trees on the opposite side. The swan is reflected in the deep water of the near bank as it glides towards the bather who sits by the waters edge. The wildflowers bring life to the greens of the foreground, which is framed by a bed of reeds to one side, and a bank of shrubbery on the other. We thank Dominic Milmo-Penny for his assistance in cataloguing this lot
Adam's
Dec. 06, 2010
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) Breton Girl
Est: €7,000 - €10,000
William John Hennessy (1839-1917) Breton Girl Returning from the Well Oil on canvas, 122 x 61cm (48 x 24 ") Pendant labels verso Provenance: G. and C. Sadde, Dijon, France Hennessy was born in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny on the 11th July 1839. His father fled his homeland following his involvement with the Young Ireland movement in 1848; he landed in Canada and moved to New York soon afterwards where his wife and two sons joined him the following year. Unlike the rest of his Irish contemporaries, Hennessy received his training in New York, and although he established a sound career there, he moved to London in 1870. He was equally successful there, and could afford to spend the summer months in Normandy where he had a residence close to the port of Honfleur. A school of painting, based in Saint Siméon's Inn, was already well established there. Corot, Isabey and Huet were amongst the first painters of the group. Courbet, Jongkind and Monet were invited to join them by Boudin. As a native and well established painter, Boudin was looked upon as a father figure. He encouraged Monet to paint in the open air, an activity that led to the advent of Impressionism. Hennessy might have had this in mind when he painted An Impressionist at Work; Scene in a Normandy Cider Orchard, which he sent to the Royal Academy in 1881. Another important painting, Gathering Apples, Normandy, painted in 1884, was exhibited by Milmo-Penny Fine Art in 2006. Due to his American training, Hennessy was not included in Julian Campbell's 'Irish Impressionists' catalogue of 1984, which concentrated on artists who went to study in France and Belgium. Hennessy had become almost forgotten in Ireland until the Ulster Museum purchased his monumental Fête Day in a Cider Orchard, Normandy. This acquisition, and its subsequent inclusion in Campbell's 'Onlookers in France' exhibition at the Crawford Gallery in Cork in 1993, was an important step in his rediscovery. The present work is another significant discovery as it is Hennessy's first Breton painting to come to light. Like many of his contemporaries, Hennessy was preoccupied with the study of local people as they went about their daily work. The theme of drawing water became a standard portrayal of a daily chore. In this version, the water is carried in two wooden pails suspended on a metal hoop, which prevents the pails from hitting against the legs. The same hoop was also used to carry milk pails from the fields to the dairy. Laundering clothes in a river or stream was another common theme and the wide flat stones, which span the water in this painting, would have been placed there for laundry workers to kneel on. The water spill at the back of the well was designed to keep the water fresh and oxygenated. Many wells in Brittany were regarded as holy places, and were often enclosed in a shrine incorporating elaborate stonework such as that shown here. The wild flowers on both sides of the sandy track are a feature of many of Hennessy's paintings. He was also known for his ability to paint a good sky, and the fading light of evening, as shown here, is a good example of this ability. Its pendant, A Summer Evening is dated 1886, and this work may be dated to the same period. We thank Dominic Milmo-Penny for his assistance in cataloguing this lot
Adam's
Nov. 20, 2010
HENNESSY, WILLIAM, JOHN, 1839-1917 Stilleben med
Est: - kr540
HENNESSY, WILLIAM, JOHN, 1839-1917 Stilleben med blommor i skål. Signerad. Duk, 36x68. Proveniens: Familjen Törnström.
Crafoord Auktioner
Mar. 17, 2010
William John Hennessy, R.O.I., P.S., N.A. (1840-1917)
Est: -
William John Hennessy, R.O.I., P.S., N.A. (1840-1917) The artist's studio signed 'W.J. HENNESSY' (lower left) oil on canvas 35 x 24 in. (88.9 x 61 cm.)
Christie's
Oct. 15, 2009
William John Hennessy (1840-1917)
Est: £2,500 - £3,500
William John Hennessy (1840-1917) On the Sands, Long Island Sound signed and dated 'WJ Hennessy - 187.' (lower left), and further inscribed and signed 'On the Sands Long Island Sound U.S.A. W.J.Hennessy London' on the reverse oil on canvas 15½ x 22½in. (39.5 x 57.2cm.)
Christie's
Aug. 03, 2009
William John Hennessy (Irish, 1839-1917) The Japanese parasol, 1890 27 1/2 x 21 3/4in
Est: $20,000 - $30,000
The Japanese parasol, 1890 signed and dated 'W. Hennessy 1890' (lower left) oil on board 27 1/2 x 21 3/4in
Bonhams
Jun. 04, 2009
William John Hennessy, R.O.I., P.S., N.A. (1840-1917)
Est: £15,000 - £20,000
William John Hennessy, R.O.I., P.S., N.A. (1840-1917) The artist's studio signed 'W.J. Hennessy' (lower left) oil on canvas 35 x 24 in. (88.8 x 60.9 cm.)
Christie's
Dec. 02, 2008
William John Hennessy ROI PS NA (Irish,
Est: £300 - £500
William John Hennessy ROI PS NA (Irish, 1839-c.1920) A milk maid carrying a churn and a bucket, probably in Normandy black chalk and brown wash heightened with white, possibly with some ink, on buff paper signed and dated 1884 lower left 22 x 15 cm (8 1/2 x 6 in)
Holloway's
Nov. 09, 2008
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (British 1839-1917) Two women in landscape, oil on canvas, signed lower left and dated 1865. Contained in period gold painted frame. Condition: relined, some losses at margins under frame. Dimensions: 10'' X 8 3/4'', frame 14
Est: $800 - $1,200
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (British 1839-1917) Two women in landscape, oil on canvas, signed lower left and dated 1865. Contained in period gold painted frame. Condition: relined, some losses at margins under frame. Dimensions: 10'' X 8 3/4'', frame 14 1/2'' X 13 1/2''.
Dargate Auction Galleries
Aug. 28, 2007
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (American 1839-1917)
Est: $1,650 - $1,850
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY (American, 1839-1917) BLOSSOMS & BUTTERFLIES. Oil on canvas scene shows three branches of apple blossoms with three yellow butterflies. All against a light blue sky background. Signed lower right and dated "1874". Housed in a modern gilt frame. SIZE: 20-1/2" x 13-1/2". CONDITION: Relined, minor spot inpainting. Very good. 9-90205 MD
James D. Julia
May. 11, 2006
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY 1839-1917
Est: £10,000 - £15,000
THE SHRIMPERS 61 by 123cm. ; 24 by 48½in. signed and dated l.l.: W J hENNESSY 1886 oil on canvas
Sotheby's
May. 11, 2006
w - WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY 1839-1917
Est: £15,000 - £20,000
PICKING CIDER APPLES, NORMANDY 180.5 by 101.5cm.; 71 by 40in. signed and dated l.l.: W.J.hENNESSY 1884 oil on canvas
Sotheby's
May. 11, 2006
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY 1839-1917
Est: £4,000 - £6,000
BINDON LANDING 71 by 51cm.; 28 by 20in. signed and dated l.l.: W hENNESSY 1895 oil on canvas
Sotheby's
May. 11, 2006
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY 1839-1917
Est: £4,000 - £6,000
A WINTER EVENING OFF BRIGHTON BEACH A WINTER EVENING OFF BRIGHTON BEACH 71 by 51cm.; 28 by 20in. signed l.l.: W. Hennessy 1896; signed and titled on an artist's label attached to the frame oil on canvas
Sotheby's
May. 11, 2006
WILLIAM JOHN HENNESSY 1839-1917
Est: £25,000 - £35,000
FLOWERS OF MAY 79 by 125cm.; 31¼ by 49½in. signed and dated l.l.: W hENNESSY 1885; signed and titled on the stretcher oil on canvas EXHIBITED London, Grosvenor Gallery, details untraced. NOTE In contrast to the focus on rustic peasant life in Twixt Day and Night (lot 25), during the late 1870s and 1880s, Hennessy painted a series of works depicting elegantly dressed women in the French countryside. His wife and family may very well have posed as the models and Flowers of May is a key work from this series where two girls are surrounded by fragrant buttercups and blossoming apple trees. Other works from the series included paintings with similarly light-hearted titles such as A Spring Fantasy (1880), A Visit to the Peacock (1880) and With the Birds (1883).
Sotheby's