Lot 107: William Howis Junior (1827-1857) after Sir David Wilkie RA (Scottish, 1785-1841) DISTRAINING FOR RENT (1815)

William Howis Junior (1827-1857) after Sir David Wilkie RA (Scottish, 1785-1841) DISTRAINING FOR RENT (1815)

h:10.25 w:13.50in.

oil on panel

The original painting which the present work is based on is by Scottish artist Sir David Wilkie RA and can be found in the National Gallery of Scotland (reference no. NG 2337).

This picture dates to around the mid 19th century and shows the forced sale of - unusually - a middle class Irish home rather than the more common depiction of the eviction of a poorer family. The scene resonates today.

Howis Junior was the son of landscape painter William Howis (1804-1882). Born in Dublin he studied at the Royal Dublin Society Schools and later in his father's studio in Mary Street and Jervis Street. In 1844 he obtained a premium of £5 from the Royal Irish Art Union for two etched landscapes. He exhibited at the RHA from 1847 to 1856 and died the following year, predeceasing his father. See Strickland p.531.