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Artist: Erskine Nicol RSA ARA (1825-1904) Title: Waiting For A Bite (1866) Signature: signed and dated 'A. Nicol 1866' lower right Medium: oil on canvas Size: 100 x 76.20cm (39.4 x 30in) Framed Size: 115 x 91cm (45.3 x 35.8in) Provenance: Gorry Gallery, Dublin where purchased by the present owner Exhibited: Gorry Gallery, Dublin, 'An Exhibition of 18th-21st Century Irish Paintings' 1st-19th November 2021 No.20 (illustrated on p.18) a#morebtn { color: #de1d01; } a#morebtn:hover { cursor: pointer;} In this, one of the finest example of Erskine Nicol's genre paintings, a fisherman is about to set out on a lake boat for a day's fishing. The man's expression is bright, and he is evidently looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead. In one hand he holds a fishing rod with a brass reel, while... Read more Erskine Nicol Lot 64 - 'Waiting For A Bite (1866)' Estimate: €10,000 - €15,000 In this, one of the finest example of Erskine Nicol's genre paintings, a fisherman is about to set out on a lake boat for a day's fishing. The man's expression is bright, and he is evidently looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead. In one hand he holds a fishing rod with a brass reel, while in the other, his food for the day is wrapped in a small woven straw basket, designed to keep its contents-potatoes perhaps-warm for several hours. The painting is characterized by a sense of observed authentic detail, including the design of the boat, which has been repaired several times, and the tattered but respectable garb of the fisherman; white shirt, red neckerchief, blue waistcoat, overcoat, moleskin trousers and gaiters. In his right hand he holds a fishing rod, and in his left hand the small basket. Nicol employed this sitter on several occasions, as a model for his Irish scenes, including paintings such as Midday Meal, Pat Among the Old Masters and Bashful Suitor. Dr. Amélie Dochy-Jacquard, of the University of Toulouse, who has carried out detailed research on Nicol, speculates that the sitter may be Paddy Cox, a neighbour who lived near Clonava in Co. Westmeath. Nicol built a studio at Clonava, beside Derravaragh Lake, where he painted during his visits to Ireland. Whatever the identity of the sitter, Nicol portrays the man almost as lord of his domain, with the fishing rod standing for a sceptre, while the circular basket represents the orb. Although there may be an element of gentle mockery in this, the painting is a sincere homage to the art of fly-fishing. With clouds gathering overhead, blocking out the sun, it is a perfect day for fishing, and the artist has tried to encapsulate the pleasure felt in a time-honoured country pursuit. There are several paintings by Nicol of fisherman, and it is clear his preference was for portraying fly fishing. Another version of Waiting for a Bite exists, and is entitled The Optimistic Angler (sold at Christies, May 2005). Although the main market for these paintings was in Edinburgh and London, where they would have attracted the attention of people who went on fishing trips to Ireland and Scotland, Nicol's work was also popular with collectors in the United States. Born in 1825 in Leith, Scotland, Erskine Nicol was initially apprenticed to a house painter, before studying art at the Trustees Academy in Edinburgh, where his teachers included Thomas Duncan and William Allen For a short time, he was employed as a drawing master at Leith Academy. Moving to Dublin in 1845, he worked for four years as a teacher with the Department of Science and Art, and also painted portraits. He specialized thereafter in Irish subject matter, particularly scenes of everyday life in the country. In paintings such as The Emigrants (1864) he depicted the harsher realities of life. Nicol was a Realist painter; rarely sentimentalising his subjects. In 1850 he returned to Edinburgh, and the following year was elected an associate member of the Royal Scottish Academy. However, following the example of his compatriot David Wil