The Irish standard., 1888-07-28

Cork, took Bandon girl for wife, and
had ten children, of whom Daniel was
the eldest. When Daniel was fourteen
years of age he left school and entered
q merchants Office as clerk. Totting up
dizzy columns Of figures and balancing
the debtor and creditor sides of ledger
were not congenial tasks for the lad, and
80 we fnd him, after few months at
this work, severing his connection with
trade and adopting the profession OF an
artist, in which, indeed, owing to his
laborious study in the schools, he had
already reached remarkable pro.
fc1ency. The first bit he made with the
pencil was in a portrait of Sir Waite,
Scott. In 1925 the great novelist visited
Cork, and Maclise was able surreptiti.
ously to make a sketch Of him during q
few minutes he spent in the shop Of MIR.
Bolger, q bookseller. The portrait was
exhibited by Mr.. Bolger, and when
Scott visited the shop again be noticed
it. and priced it highly, to the delight o1
Maclise, who was present, and got an
introduction. The fame which this
achievement brought induced him tc
open studio in Patrick street, and he
earned 6 very respectable income BY
portrait painting. It YVES about this
tune he adopted the more rational spell.
ling Of his name-;sMaclise,' instead OF
"MacLeish."
| Maclise was ambitious, and there was
no field in Cork to satisfy him. We
find him, therefore, in 1927 emigrating
| to London. His first shit" in London,
as in Cork. was portrait. He took a
| sketch in Drury-lane Theatre Of Charles
Kean, who at the time made his first ap-
! pearance as 'Young Norval" in Homes
tragedy of ''Douglas;' and having it
Autographed it sold we'll among The
tragedian's admirers; and, with the same
res ult as III Cork. brought the artist
profitable employment i'll black and
white and water-color portraits. His
success at the schools OF the Royal
Academy was remarkable. In his fret
year at che schools he won the last medal
given by Sir Thomas Lawrence. r. A.
for the best drawing from the antique;
the next year the medal for the best copy
OF picture from Guido: and in 1929 the
highest prize within reach of q student
-- the gold medal for tho best historical
composition on subject chosen by the
Academy, s'L,he Choice Of Hercules"
was the subject. This prize carried
with it Ike travelling studertsbip Of the
Academy, tenable for three years, which
enabled its pcssessor to visit, free Of ex-
pense. the art galleries OF the Continent.
It is all interesting fact that Maclise re-
fused to avail Of this privilege and he
never visited any of Che Italian schools.
In the same year-1929- Maclise ex~
hibited has first picture~~-h scene from
''Twelfth Nigh" lin theRoyal Academy;
and in the next year be had SIS many as
seven pictures, including portraits Of
Thomas Campbell, Mrs. S. G.; Hall, and
Miss Landen. In February. 1880, Fra
zer's Magazine was started, and in it's
fifth number were begun those exquisite
sketches Of the Frazerians by Maclise,
under the nom de-crayon of "Alfria
Croquis,' - which accompanied Meggiu's
letterpress in the Gallery of Illustr,ous
Literary Characters. At the sale Of the
painters effects, shortly after his death
i'll 1870, the originals Of many Of these
sketches were purchased by Mr.. John
Forster, and may now be seen at the
South Kensington Museum.
Maolise paid visit to his native city
in 1881. John Hogan happened to be
there in the same year, and the painter
and sculptor were banquetted by the
people Of Cork, and each presented with
a geld medal. During this visit to Ire-
land the artist collected materials for
his grand picture, "All-Hallow Eve, or
Snap-Apple Night" which is pretty
widely known in Ireland from engrav~
ings. The picture, which was exhibited
in the Royal Academy in 1888, depicts
what was at the time of it's painting a
common November Eve scene in Ireland,
but which now, alas! is, with many
another fine old Irish custom, more hon
ored in the breach than in the observ-
ance. In the foreground of the picture
several groups are seen. The most
prominent are g. stalwart boy and buck
some girl trying to catch in thei. mouths
he apples which, with two lighted !
candles, ere fixed on cross-sticks sr1s-
pended by rope from the ceiling. This
8 the snap-apple, and the fun is that
low and then, as it spins round, one or
'ther Of the persons swapping" finds g.
surnlng candle and not a rosy pippin in