Large Original Irish Oil Painting by Robert Bertie Higgins (b.1943) Signed 1978

Artist: ROBERT BERTIE HIGGINS (b.1943)
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Large Irish Landscape, 1978
Original Oil on Canvas – Signed & Dated

A superb large original oil painting by established County Down-born artist Robert Bertie Higgins, signed “B. Higgins” and dated 1978.

This is a particularly appealing early work, painted when Higgins was approximately 35 years old, and has considerably more presence than many of the smaller works by the artist that regularly appear at auction.

THE ARTIST

Robert Bertie Higgins was born in County Down in 1943 and became particularly known for his paintings of the Irish landscape.

Higgins has a substantial established secondary market. International art-market database askART records hundreds of auction appearances, while MutualArt currently lists 366 artworks/auction records under Robert Bertie Higgins.

His work has been handled by leading Irish art auctioneers including Whyte’s, which records his oil on canvas Horse Island, Kircubbin, County Down achieving €1,015 at auction.

More recently, MutualArt records an auction high of US$1,096 for Higgins’s Pheasants on Mount Stewart Estate, sold by Ross’s Fine Art Auctioneers in 2023.

Higgins also received an important commercial commission from Belleek Pottery, creating The Four Seasons for a series of collectors’ plates. Whyte’s specifically notes his work in both watercolour and his porcelain commissions for Belleek.

His work continues to be offered internationally, with smaller framed Higgins paintings currently appearing through specialist dealers at four-figure retail asking prices.

THE PAINTING

This atmospheric 1978 landscape is a wonderful example of Higgins’s interest in the Irish countryside.

A winding rural road draws the viewer through an expansive landscape of mature trees, traditional stone walls, cottages and distant hills beneath a dramatic sky.

The unusually broad composition gives the painting considerable visual presence, while Higgins’s restrained palette of greens, ochres, greys and blues captures the character of the Irish landscape beautifully.
The painting is an original oil on canvas, not a print or reproduction.

It is signed “B. Higgins” lower right and clearly dated 1978.

The reverse retains its original wooden stretcher and an old supplier/framer’s stamp, adding to the physical history of the work.

Presented framed and ready to hang.

COLLECTOR INTEREST

This is an opportunity to acquire an early, signed 1978 work by an established Northern Irish artist with a documented auction history.

The combination of the early date, large format, original canvas, strong decorative quality and Higgins’s established position within the secondary Irish art market makes this considerably more interesting than a purely decorative vintage landscape.

DETAILS:

Artist: Robert Bertie Higgins (b.1943)

Also catalogued as: Robert B. Higgins / R. B. Higgins

Date: 1978
Medium: Oil on canvas

Signature/Signed: “B. Higgins” lower right

Subject: Irish rural landscape

Period: 20th century

Origin: Northern Irish / County Down artist

Frame: Framed and ready to hang
Condition: Presents very well for a work nearly 50 years old.

There is age-related wear consistent with its period.

Please examine all photographs closely as these form part of the condition description.

Collection preferred due to the size and nature of the work.