Lot 650: ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS ROBERTS (1746-1824) A Wooded

ATTRIBUTED TO THOMAS ROBERTS (1746-1824) A Wooded Landscape, with a drover and cattle, a ruined castle on a hill, a river valley in the distance Oil on canvas, 76 x 103.5cm In old gilt-wood frame Provenance: Beaulieu House, Drogheda, Co. Louth, sold by order of the Executors The attributions of Irish idealised landscapes of the 18th century gives rise to much discussion. As the note to the previous lot shows, the genre was inspired by Van der Hagen and continued through Butts and Carver. Certainly the composition of the present lot is close to Carver. However the treatment of the ruins on a crag to the left and the subtle evening light and slightly green hues to the receding central distance set off by a sheet of water is the epitome of Roberts. Even with some paint loss and over-painting of tree foliage this painting stands direct comparison with the recently re-discovered Wooded River Landscape with Figures on a Path and Monastic Ruins (see Laffan and Rooney, Two New Works by Thomas Roberts, Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies, Vol XV)