Draught Players Large Interior Genre Scene 19th century Irish Watercolor Painting ^Sale

Painting is titled “Paddy’s Dilemma" by Erskine Nicol (Erskine Nicol RSA ARA, 1825 – 1904), Irishman. Detailed and richly decorated in objects picture of a cozy interior takes us straight to a Victorian-era country house. At the heart of the scene, two men are engaged in a game of checkers, their expressions reflecting the  intrigue of the moment. Nearby, their friends observe the match with rapt attention, their body language suggesting a sense of anticipation of one of their comrades losing. The artist's professional skill in this watercolor has imbued the characters with deep emotions, inviting us to immerse ourselves in the unfolding drama. In the background, the housewife can be seen attending to her culinary duties, the content cat nestled by the crackling fireplace completes the tableau, her presence adding a touch of warmth and homeliness to the overall composition. Watercolor painting on paper, framed.
Size app.: 51 x 67 cm (roughly 20.1 x 26.4 in), frame 65.5 x 81.5 cm (roughly 25.8 x 32.1 in). Overall in very good well preserved condition with age wear such discoloration, frame has damage to upper left corner and minor losses elsewhere. Please study good resolution images for cosmetic condition. In person actual painting may appear darker or brighter than in our pictures, strictly depending on sufficient light in your environment. NB: This work of art was photographed with glass over it what may led to glares and other inaccuracies. Glass will be removed prior to shipment for safe transit. Weight of app. 1.5 kg is going to measure 3 kg packed for shipment.
Erskine Nicol first visited Ireland from his native Scotland in 1846, the beginning of a longstanding relationship with the country. Travelling through Ireland and especially Connemara, Nicol witnessed the outbreak of the great potato famine which devastated the over-populated West of Ireland causing the death of more than a million people within ten years, with another million forced to emigrate. The artist stayed in Ireland until 1851 when he returned to Scotland. Between 1850 and 1869 Ni col exhibited over ninety Irish subjects at the Royal Scottish Academy and over twenty at the Academy in London. After his fourth visit the artist returned for some months every year until ill health prevented him from traveling. He is better remembered as a genre painter, but as a recorder of an Irish way of life he becomes historically important because there were few artists working in Ireland at that time. Nicol’s works of social realism are significant for their accuracy as well as political insight.