WILLIAM BRODERICK ENGLISH, 1914-1888
130
130 William Broderick (English, 1814-1888) Three Hobbies on a Branch, c. 1840 oil on board, 22 by 18 in. titled on Tryon Gallery, Ltd, London label on back The artist’s name is also spelled Brodrick. Born in London in 1814, he was son of a barrister and Mary Ann Selby, the sister of noted ornithologist Prideaux John Selby (17881867). Broderick pursued a career as a falconer and bird artist. His uncle Selby wrote in 1844, “He has got several hawks and falcons up, which he manages very well, and expects to have perfectly trained by the commencement of the Season. I never met with such a fellow, for the training and keeping of Birds as he is.” By 1855, “He reckoned that the expense of a hawking establishment was £200 per annum, based on eight hawks, a falconer with assistant, one or two good horses, and three or four dogs.” 192
In 1855, Broderick wrote and published Falconry in the British Isles, with Francis Salvin, which was considered the best falconry book for many years. Broderick died in Devon in 1888. This painting appeared on the cover of the October 1988 issue of The Field magazine. PROVENANCE:
Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Collection
LITERATURE: The Field, October 1988, cover, illustrated. Laurence Sheehan, The Sporting Life, New York, NY, 1992, p. 83, illustrated. Christine E. Jackson, Dictionary of Bird Artists of the World, Suffolk, UK, 1999, p. 174.
$4,000 - $6,000