Lot 395: The last of the 24th, Isandlwana, 1879 'He reached a small cave in the rocks, into which he crept, and with his gun kept off his enemies, shooting every Zulu as he appeared...The shadows were long on the hills before this man, who was the last

Richard Thomas Moynan, R.H.A. (1856-1906)
The last of the 24th, Isandlwana, 1879
'He reached a small cave in the rocks, into which he crept, and with his gun kept off his enemies, shooting every Zulu as he appeared...The shadows were long on the hills before this man, who was the last to die, met his fate'
- Natal Times
signed and dated 'R.T. Moynan/1883' (lower right)
oil on canvas
50½ x 40¼ in. (128.3 x 102.2 cm.)

Dublin, The Royal Hibernian Academy, 1883, no.82

Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 3 November 1993, lot 267.

The Battle of Isandlwana took place in 1879 and was one of the greatest British military defeats at the hands of native forces. 850 Europeans and around 450 Africans in British service died, while only 50 European troops and five Imperial officers escaped.

The British, including five companies of the 1st Battalion, and one company of the 2nd Battalion, the 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot, pitched camp at Isandlwana, but because of the size of the force, the hard ground, and a disbelief that they were in any danger, did not fortify the camp. In addition, it was believed that the British infantry, armed with Martini-Henry rifles, superior weapons to the Zulus' primitive muskets, could meet any attack and overwhelm it through sheer firepower. However, the lack of defensive preparations, proved to be the key factor in the camp's defeat by the Zulu impis (regiments) which attacked on 22 January.

As the Zulu attack did not quite encompass the British camp, some soldiers from the 24th managed to make their way towards Rorke's Drift. However, the Zulu army cut the road and the escaping soldiers were forced into the hills where they were hunted down and killed. As dramatically depicted by R.T. Moynan, the last survivor from the main battle escaped to a cave on the hillside where he continued fighting until his ammunition gave out and he was shot down.

Richard Thomas Moynan lived in Dublin for the majority of his life, and trained at the Royal Hibernian Academy, and also in Antwerp and Paris. Intended for the medical profession, he studied at the Royal College of Surgeons, and had nearly completed his course when his love for art induced him to abandon his intended career and apply himself to the study of painting.

As a student in the Royal Hibernian Academy's School he won a silver and bronze medal and a prize for the best study in the painting class in 1883. In the same year he carried off the Albert Scholarship for the best picture shown in the Academy by a student, with the present picture. Eager to advance himself he proceeded to Antwerp in 1884, and there placed himself under Verlat and others. After six month's study he gained first place for painting from the living model in the annual "concours" in which a hundred students of all nationalities competed. In Paris he studied under Bougeureau and Collin, and was several times placed first in drawing, painting and composition.