Lot 10: William John Hennessy (1839-1917) Meeting Under

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''