Carrig-rohane frame

Frames created by painters Hermann Dudley Murphy, Charles Prendergast and W. Alfred Thulin in the early 20th century, they were named for the home and studio of Murphy in Winchester, Massachusetts. The motivation grew from the tenet of the prevailing Aesthetic Movement, a commitment they shared that art expression should be total in all aspects of the work. In the spirit of James McNeill Whistler, who taught the philosophy of the Aesthetic Movement to American artists in Europe including Murphy, Hermann Murphy began building frames for his paintings shortly after his return from Europe in 1897. When he moved to Winchester in 1903, he was joined in a framing business by Charles Prendergast and later by W. Alfred Thullin. Working from a shop in the basement of Murphy???s home, the artists produced frames inscribed "Carrig-Rohane". They were hand-carved gold-leafed frames and became popular because they suited the gentle images of the Tonalist style of paintings by many of the leading artists of the time. In 1905, these artist-framers moved their shop to Boston. At first the frames were carved according to Murphy???s designs, but eventually the company hired artists, and the shop entered into a partnership whereby the business merged with Vose Galleries of Boston. Source: Spanierman Galleries, LLC; Hermann Dudley Murphy', "The Poetic Vision: American Tonalism", 2005 Gallery exhibition catalogue.