Gigantism.- The Irish giant.- Maag (Johann Nepomuk) Attributed to. Ein Irländer Riss …, engraved portrait of Cornelius McGrath (1737-1760), standing with his left arm extended horizontally above the tall hat of a moustached and fully uniformed swordsman, on thin laid paper with two armorial watermarks, platemark 360 x 278 mm (14 1/8 x 10 7/8 in), small margins or trimmed to platemark, tipped onto pink paper support, signed of old restoration verso to splits at right edge, handling creases and minor surface dirt, unframed, [circa 1755]
⁂ Cornelius McGrath (1737-1760), the Irish giant, was born in the county of Tipperary, within five miles of the silver mines. Aged 16 he measured six feet eight inches, but eventually grew to a height of seven feet eight inches "without shoes". Convinced to exhibit himself before the public for pay, by 1753 he was touring England and not long thereafter, the European continent. He died in Dublin at the age of just 23. Upon his death, and after the dissection of his body, Magrath’s bones were preserved. They are today a part of the anatomical collection of Trinity College Dublin.
A limited number of printed catalogues are available to purchase for this auction.
UK: £35 (incl. postage)
Rest of World: £50 (incl. postage)
Please contact info@forumauctions.co.uk to place an order.
Please Login or Register to request further information and images