Lilla Mary Vanston (16 May 1870 – 23 March 1959) was an Irish sculptor and portrait painter.

Life

Lilla Vanston was born Lydia Mary Coffey on 16 May 1870. She was one of two daughters of the Rev. John T. Coffey, who was rector of Mogorban, Fethard, County Tipperary, and Lizzie Moulson, daughter of the Rev. George Nesbitt. She attended the

Dublin Metropolitan School of Art The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of th ...

. Around 1900, she married John S. Vanston, a solicitor. Vanston became a member of the Gaelic League, and visited the

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

Achill Island Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by ...

regularly. The couple had one daughter, Dairine, who would also go on to become an artist.

Artistic career

Vanston exhibited a medallion at the 1898

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...

(RHA) show, and another work in 1903. She was featured in the 1907 and 1911 Oireachtas na Gaeilge exhibitions. She exhibited ten works with the RHA between 1904 and 1921, largely portraits and statuettes. One such portrait was the Gaelic League activist, Thomas O'Neill Russell from 1904. Vanston wished to use her art for patriotic purposes, and was associated with the Irish Art Companions, a group founded in 1904 by

Charles Tindal Gatty Charles Tindal Gatty (14 November 1851 – 8 June 1928) was a British antiquary, musician, author, and lecturer. Personal life Charles Tindal Gatty was the son of the Rev. Alfred Gatty, D.D. vicar of Ecclesfield; his mother, Margaret Gatty, wa ...

with the aim of reviving Irish art, particularly to provide an alternative to imported ecclesiastical statues. At 27–28 Clare Street, Dublin, the group had its own plaster mill and could cast primarily ecclesiastical statues, which were then bronzed and tinted. A 1907 plaque by Vanston for the group was exhibited at the 1910

Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland The Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland was formed in Ireland in 1894 to promote Irish decorative and fine arts. The society held exhibitions to showcase these Irish arts. History The Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland (ACSI) was founded in 1894, in ...

exhibition. The plaque was titled ''The lament of Banba'' or ''Erin mourns for her dead heroes'', and ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' called it "one of the most beautiful decorative designs we have seen here for some time . . . it shows wonderful grace and freedom." She was also involved with the United Arts Club, a group which included

Jack Butler Yeats Jack Butler Yeats RHA (29 August 1871 – 28 March 1957) was an Irish art The history of Irish art starts around 3200 BC with Neolithic stone carvings at the Newgrange megalithic tomb, part of the Brú na Bóinne complex which still stands ...

Later life and legacy

Vanston was widowed by the 1920s, and went to Paris, where her daughter was studying. Whilst there, she exhibited at the

Salon d'Automne The Salon d'Automne (; en, Autumn Salon), or Société du Salon d'automne, is an art exhibition held annually in Paris, France. Since 2011, it is held on the Champs-Élysées, between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, in mid-October. The ...

. She would frequently spend time in Paris, until the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, by which time it is thought she had become a Buddhist. Vanston lived at 13 Herbert Street until she died on 23 March 1959 in the

Royal City of Dublin Hospital The Royal City of Dublin Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Ríoga Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) was a health facility on Baggot Street, Dublin, Ireland. History The hospital was first established by a group of doctors from the Royal College of Surgeons in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanston, Lilla 1870 births 1959 deaths People from Fethard, County Tipperary 19th-century Irish women artists 20th-century Irish women artists Alumni of the National College of Art and Design Artists from County Tipperary