An original 1895 watercolour painting, F. de la Poer, Out of My Window, King's House, Jamaica.This vibrant painting is one of a pair of watercolours that we have for sale showing views at King's House, Jamaica (see also stock number JU-638). The view is described on the verso as 'out of my window, Kings house, Jan 26 / 95'. King's House is the official residence of the Governor of Jamaica. When Kingston became the capital of Jamaica in 1872, King's House was constructed at the former home of the Anglican Lord Bishop of the Diocese of Jamaica. Here we see Jamaica's natural beauty dominating the scene: sunlight cast on the Blue Mountains behind King's House, with vibrant orange bougainvillea in the foreground. A female servant can be seen on the veranda and male servant on the lawn. The house shown in this painting was destroyed by an earthquake in 1907, before being rebuilt to a similar design the same year.The painting is signed 'F. de la Poer 1895', who is presumed to be Frances Vincent de la Poer (1851–1925), descended from the important landowning de la Poer (Power) family of Waterford, Ireland. Frances was the youngest daughter of John Power, 17th Baron le Power and Coroghmore, Co. Waterford, who lived at Gurteen, Co. Galway. In 1881 she married Thomas William Gaston Monsell, 2nd Baron Emly.At the time of painting, the Governor of Jamaica was Sir Henry Arthur Blake, the son of Peter Blake of Corbally Castle, Co. Galway. Blake's wife was the botanical illustrator and writer Edith Bernal, Lady Blake (née Osborne), an extremely accomplished woman who spoke nine languages, including Irish, Russian, and Chinese. As befitted the representatives of Empire, the Blakes lived in some style and they were closely involved in organising the Jamaica Exhibition of 1891. Visitors to Jamaica included Lord Rosse, the Villiers-Stuarts, Eva FitzGerald, daughter of the 4th Duke of Leinster, the artist Emily Trant, of Dovea in Tipperary, and Lord Donoughmore.It appears that Frances de la Poer was a guest at King's House, likely through family connections in Galway and possibly as a friend of Edith Blake, with whom she clearly shared artistic interests. Edith admired the lush plant life of Jamaica, describing the island as a ‘breathtaking emerald’ and producing numerous botanical illustrations of local plants; this watercolour by Frances de la Poer seems equally to celebrate the island's colourful and abundant flora. Edith also painted screens and there is a record of one, decorated with white Beaumontia Grandiflora and mauve creepers, being sent to the de La Poer family at Gurteen.Paintings by de la Poer rarely come to the market. A trio of watercolours of Jamaica by F. de la Poer sold at Christies in 2009, of Hyde Hall Sugar Estate; The Porch of the King's House; and Runaway Bay, Jamaica. A further Irish view by de la Poer has previously auctioned at Adams in Ireland.All artworks come with a Certificate of Authenticity and in some cases its accompanying text or artist biography. Signed: Signed lower right. Inscribed: Inscribed verso. Dated: Dated lower right and verso. Height: 22.2cm (8.7″) Width: 30cm (11.8″) Condition: Some minor age toning and very faint foxing in the sky area. There are two small patches of repair at the edge of the paper at the far upper right. Small crease line to the far lower right corner. There are historic glue stains to the verso of the sheet. Please see photos for detail. Presented: Unframed.
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