Francis Danby ARA (1793 - 1861) was an Irish painter of the Romantic era. Best known for his vivid and dramatic landscape paintings, his work often drew comparisons to that of John Martin.
Danby and the Bristol School
From around 1818/1819, Danby became involved with an informal circle of artists later recognised as the Bristol School. He participated in their evening sketching sessions and outdoor excursions to capture the surrounding landscapes. His 1822 painting View of the Avon Gorge depicts figures sitting at one of the group’s preferred sketching spots. Danby maintained close ties with members of the Bristol School for nearly ten years, continuing those connections even after his departure from Bristol in 1824.
Danby at Roseberys
Roseberys is pleased to offer an oil on panel by Francis Danby in the upcoming Old Master, British and European Pictures sale on Wednesday 12 November. This work, titled A Lake Scene in Ireland, is thought to be by both Danby and James Arthur O’Connor (1792-1841), a self-taught Irish landscape painter. The work was likely painted shortly after their 1813 walk from London to Bristol. It once bore a label attributing it to Danby and another unidentified artist. W.J. O’Driscoll, barrister, member of the Royal Dublin Society 1845-74 and author of a biography of Irish artist Daniel Maclise, noted that Danby, O’Connor, and a third Irish artist George Petrie supposedly created a “joint-stock picture” in Bristol, with O’Connor handling the landscape, Petrie the architectural ruins, and Danby the figures and foreground. However, Petrie did not travel with them on this 1813 journey and the architecture lacks the substance typical of his work.
Francis Danby, A Lake Scene in Ireland, Roseberys
The naive figures resemble O’Connor’s early oils, yet their profiles, Roman noses, and humpbacks are closer to Danby’s early Bristol watercolours. The rocks, foliage, ferry boat, and reflections anticipate Danby’s later style, while the trees, distance, and sky reflect O’Connor’s hand. It is thought that the scene may depict County Wicklow.
This is not the first time Roseberys have offered a work by Danby; a pencil and wash drawing titled Lake with trees was sold on the 19 July 2022 and realised a price of £520. Oils by the artist are rare to come on the market, and so this is rather special and should appeal to all collectors of 19th landscape painting, particularly those from the Irish market.
Francis Danby, Lake with trees, Roseberys
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