Garret Morphy (alternatively Morphey, Morphew, or
Murphy
Murphy () ( ga, Ua Murchadha) is an Irish surname and the most common surname in the Republic of Ireland.
Origins and variants
The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac ...
) (c. 1655 - c. 1716) was an Irish
painter
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
, who is considered to be Ireland's first recorded professional artist.
Early life
Little is known about Garret Morphy's origins and personal life. He is assumed to be of Irish birth, however there were Morphys in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and elsewhere in Ireland in the 17th century.
In his will he was described as "of the city of Dublin, painter".
The first documented mention of him is in 1673 when he was an assistant to the Catholic artist
Edmund Ashfield, in London. At this time he was probably about 18 years old.
Career
Morphy's earliest work are from around 1676
and his style of portrait painting suggests he studied under the Flemish portrait painter,
Gaspar Smitz, who painted the Irish aristocracy in the 1660s and 1670s.
Morphy was a Catholic and was known to move between London and Dublin, painting portraits of established Catholic families, the colonial hierarchy and army officers.
It is thought he may have visited the
Netherlands
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and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
as his paintings reflected the newest artistic trends. Morphy appears to have moved around constantly during this period, making it difficult to ascertain how much time he spent in Ireland.
He painted a portrait of the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin,
Oliver Plunket, who was executed at Tyburn in 1681.
Morphy is known to have been in Yorkshire and Northumberland between 1685 and 1688 during which time he completed a portrait of the Duke of Newcastle amongst others. He was a quick and prolific portrait painter. His importance perhaps lies in the fact that he recorded the “remnants of a once powerful social grouping that was passing out of Irish history.”
He returned to Ireland around 1689, moving in the same circles as the O'Neills, the Talbots, and the Bellews. Many of the people Morphy painted were subsequently killed or lost their estates in the
Williamite war
The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...
. After the war, Morphy's commissions came from Protestant landed gentry.
Morphy painted in a rapid technique, lending a softness to the features of his subjects. At least 70 portraits are attributed to his studio, painted over 30 years.
His female subjects were often posed in the same way, with their head resting on their right hand with a "dreamy gaze". Male subjects were posed with their body twisted away from the viewer, with the right hand across the torso.
Death and legacy
Garret Morphy died between November 1715 and May 1716.
His will was proved on 12 May 1716. His nephew Edmond Moore appears to have inherited the remnants of his studio.
He is said to have raised the practise of Irish portrait painting to a new and professional level.
Some of his works hang in the
National Gallery of Ireland
The National Gallery of Ireland ( ga, Gailearaí Náisiúnta na hÉireann) houses the national collection of Irish and European art. It is located in the centre of Dublin with one entrance on Merrion Square, beside Leinster House, and another on ...
and the
National Portrait Gallery in London.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Garret
Year of birth uncertain
1650s births
1716 deaths
17th-century Irish painters
18th-century Irish painters
Irish male painters
Irish portrait painters