Early Life and Artistic Training

Garret Murphy was likely born in Ireland, though the exact details of his early years remain obscured. He is recognized as Ireland's first recorded professional artist, a distinction that marks the beginning of a formal tradition in the country. By 1673, his presence in the London art scene was documented through his work as an assistant to the Catholic artist Edmund Ashfield. At that time, he was probably about 18 years old, navigating the professional circles of the city.

The way he handled his subjects suggests a specific lineage of training. His approach to portraiture points toward the influence of the Flemish painter Gaspar Smitz, who was active in Ireland during the 1660s and 1670s. This connection implies that Murphy's early technical development was shaped by the prevailing styles of the era, absorbing the methods used to capture the Irish aristocracy.

Career in London and Ireland

By around 1676, his hand was already busy with his earliest works. As a Catholic, he moved frequently between the streets of London and Dublin, finding work among the established Catholic families, the colonial hierarchy, and various army officers. His presence was felt in many places, including Yorkshire and Northumberland between 1685 and 1688, where he worked away from his usual circles.

He returned to Ireland around 1689, finding himself in the company of the O'Neills, the Talbots, and the Bellews. These were the people of a shifting social order. Many of the families he sat with during this time would soon lose their estates or their lives in the Williamite war. Once the conflict had passed, his commissions shifted toward the Protestant landed gentry.

Technique and Portrait Style

There is a certain speed to the way the paint is applied. He worked with a rapid technique, a choice that leaves a softness across the features of his subjects. This approach allowed him to be prolific, with at least 70 portraits attributed to his studio over a span of thirty years. He did not seek to break from the established ways of his time, instead adopting the specific poses and methods used by earlier portraitists like Peter Lely and John Michael Wright.

The way he positioned his sitters followed a predictable, almost rhythmic pattern. When painting women, he often had them rest their head upon their right hand, their eyes fixed in a dreamy gaze. For men, the composition changed; he typically posed them with their bodies twisted away from the viewer, their right hands placed across the torso. These repeated gestures helped define the visual language of the families he painted.

• Portrait of Anne O'Neill, later Mrs Segrave
• Portrait of Frances Talbot (c.1670-1718)
• Portrait of William, 4th Viscount Molyneux of Maryborough (c.1655-1717)
• Portrait of Mary, 5th Viscountess Molyneux (1680-1766)
• Portrait of James Bryan (b.1674) of Jenkinstown, Co. Kilkenny
• Portrait of Rose O'Neill, later Mrs Nicholas Wogan

Later Years and Legacy

The final years of Garret Morphy's life were marked by a steady transition in his clientele. After the shifts in the political landscape following the Williamite war, he moved from painting the Catholic families who were losing their estates to working for the Protestant landed gentry. He died between November 1715 and May 1716, with his will being proved on 12 May 1716. When he passed, his nephew Edmond Moore inherited the remnants of his studio, which had produced at least seventy portraits over the course of thirty years.

His presence in the history of Irish art is felt through the professional standard he brought to the practice of portrait painting. He helped move the craft toward a more formal, professional level in Ireland. Today, his hand can be seen in collections such as the National Gallery of Ireland and the National Portrait Gallery in London.