Study for The Western Wedding by William Orpen Art Print

The Western Wedding no longer exists. The finished painting was lost, and what remains is this — a preparatory study of two figures kneeling, hands joined, made around 1914 as part of Orpen's Irish Trilogy.

The female figure is Connie Martin, a professional model Orpen worked with regularly. The male figure is thought to be Seán Keating, then a young student of Orpen's who would go on to become one of Ireland's most important painters. Orpen posed them with the gravity of a Renaissance altarpiece — the kneeling figures echo Piero della Francesca's Nativity — but the setting is unmistakably Irish.

The Irish Trilogy was Orpen's most ambitious attempt to make monumental history painting out of Irish life. Two of the three finished works survived. This study is the closest we get to the one that didn't.

This archival print is made on heavyweight fine art paper with fade-resistant inks, built to last.

Sizes & Format

• A4 21 × 29.7 cm / 8 × 12″
• A3 (29.7 × 42 cm
• A2 (42 × 59.4 cm
• A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm
• A0 (84.1 × 118.9 cm

Delivered in 2–5 business days.

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.