Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/sir-william-orpen-1725" aria-label="More by Sir William Orpen" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Sir William Orpen</a>
Lady Orpen
Presented by Alfred A. de Pass 1920
actions: postures and motions
adults
clothing and personal items
cloud
glove
hand / hands raised
hat
individuals: female
Knewstub, Grace
landscape
named individuals
objects
Orpen, Grace, Lady
people
portraits
sky
veil
weather
woman
<p>Orpen's portrait of his wife was painted while they were on a holiday at Margate with William and Mabel Nicholson and their children. They had been married only for a few years, and he portrayed her repeatedly. This portrait was studied by artificial light, and the stormy background added later, with its glimpse of sea and sand dune. The Orpens and Nicholsons loved to dress up. This conglomeration of gloves, scarf, veil, black ostrich feather and bonnet may not have been meant seriously, and Orpen often let loose his sense of humour in his private paintings. He was then just beginning his hardworking career as a society portrait painter, which was to lead to a great number of portraits of spectacular but prosaic realism.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
27 January 2005 – 28 August 2005
2005-08-28
1 October 2004 – 31 January 2005
2005-01-31
2004-10-01
Imperial War Museum (London, UK)
http://www.iwm.org.uk/
1 June 2005 – 28 August 2005
2005-08-28
2005-06-01
National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin, Ireland)
http://www.nationalgallery.ie
2005-01-27
Sir William Orpen 1878-1931
Loan-out
Lady Orpen
support: 972 × 864 mm
frame: 1235 × 1130 × 90 mm
Presented by Alfred A. de Pass 1920
<p>Orpen's <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/portrait" title="Glossary definition for 'Portrait'"><span>portrait</span></a> of his wife was painted while they were on a holiday at Margate with William and Mabel Nicholson and their children. They had been married only for a few years, and he portrayed her repeatedly. This portrait was studied by artificial light, and the stormy background added later, with its glimpse of sea and sand dune. The Orpens and Nicholsons loved to dress up. This conglomeration of gloves, scarf, veil, black ostrich feather and bonnet may not have been meant seriously, and Orpen often let loose his sense of humour in his private <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>paintings</span></a>. He was then just beginning his hardworking career as a society portrait painter, which was to lead to a great number of portraits of spectacular but prosaic <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/r/realism" title="Glossary definition for 'Realism'"><span>realism</span></a>.</p>
Display caption
2004-09-03T00:00:00
display-caption
DISPLAY_CAPTION
<p><b>N03549</b> LADY ORPEN (?) 1907</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Inscr. ‘Orpen’ b.l.
<br/>Canvas, 38 1/4×34 (97×86·5); a strip 2 (5) wide along the bottom was previously turned over a smaller stretcher.
<br/>Presented by Alfred A. de Pass 1920.
<br/><i>Exh:</i>
N.E.A.C., autumn 1907 (59); R.A., <i>Late Members</i>, winter 1933 (121); Manchester, April–May 1933 (43).
<br/><i>Lit:</i> Konody and Dark, 1932, pp.82, 222 and 271, repr. pl.18.
<br/><i>Repr:</i> Frederick Wedmore, <i>Some of the Moderns</i>, 1909, after p.102; Pickle, 1923, pl.8.</p>
<p>Orpen married Grace Knewstub, the sister-in-law of Sir William Rothenstein, in 1901.</p>
<p>The date ‘1907’ recorded in previous catalogues as inscribed after the signature is no longer visible.</p>
<p><b>Published in:</b>
<br/>Mary Chamot, Dennis Farr and Martin Butlin, <i>The Modern British Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture</i>, London 1964, II</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>

Catalogue entry
2004-07-16T00:00:00
catalogue-entry
CATALOGUE_ENTRY
actions: postures and motions adults clothing and personal items cloud glove hand / hands raised hat individuals: female Knewstub, Grace landscape named individuals objects Orpen, Grace, Lady people portraits sky veil weather woman