Self-Portrait with Sowing New Seed (1913) – William Orpen
In 1913 Orpen painted himself standing before his own canvas — furrowed brow, black cap, brushes in hand, staring out with the expression of a man who has something to say.
The painting behind him is Sowing New Seed, his satirical allegory attacking the Irish Board of Agriculture for pouring money into farming while starving Irish art of funding. Orpen was furious, and this is what furious looked like on him — contained, precise, unsmiling. It is one of the great self-portraits in Irish art: not a painter at his easel, not a man in costume — just Orpen, standing in front of the thing he believed in, daring you to disagree.
The self-portrait was purchased by the Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri, in 1915, where it remains. The allegory itself, Sowing New Seed, hangs in the Mildura Arts Centre in Australia.
Sir William Orpen (1878-1931), born in Stillorgan, Co Dublin, trained at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and the Slade School in London, becoming one of the most successful portrait painters of his generation. His work hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland.
Sizes & Format
30 × 40 cm / 12 × 16″
60 × 80 cm / 24 × 32″
75 × 100 cm / 30 × 40″
Available framed (black, white, wood) or unframed
Print & Frame Details
Archival matte paper, 250gsm (110lb), acid-free and FSC-certified — off-white, uncoated. Framed prints: solid oak or ash wood frame, 20mm thick, with shatterproof protective glazing. Ready to hang, hanging kit included. Unframed prints up to A4 ship flat; larger sizes ship rolled in a protective tube.
Free Worldwide Shipping
Framed prints are packed with protective corners and wrap, boxed with reinforced edges, and braced with internal supports for extra rigidity (max 3 frames per package). Every order ships free, made to order and delivered from the hub closest to you: Ireland 3–7 business days · UK 4–8 · USA 5–10 · Canada 6–12 · Australia 7–14.
