Mr Joseph Higgins
Born 1885
Died 1925
Active: 1912 - 1925
Sculptor, painter
Born in Ballincollig, near Cork. Around 1900 he began attending the Crawford School of Art, Cork. Higgins worked as a teacher in Fermoy and Midleton whilst continuing to paint and sculpt. His family and children were often used as models. In 1924 he won the bronze medal for sculpture at the Tailteann Games. Higgins contracted tuberculosis and died in 1925, aged only thirty-nine. His son-in-law, Seamus Murphy cast his works in bronze posthumously.
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited. Click here for more information.
Carved Oak Panel
1910 (Presumed)
Liam
1912
'Charlie'
1913
Apxn
1914
A Model in Lime-wood
1918
Portrait of a Child, in Lime-wood
1918
Máigread 7 Líam (Margaret and William)
1921 (Presumed)
£30
Head of a Fisherman
1925 (Presumed)
£30
Figure for a Fountain
1925 (Presumed)
£2
Maighread Ní hUigín (Margaret O'Higgins)
1925 (Presumed)
£30
Inghean Lir (Daughter of Lear)
1925 (Presumed)
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1912
'Liam'
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1913
''Charlie''
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1914
'Apxn'
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1918
Multiple works
Exhibited at The Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland Fourth Exhibition, 1910
1910
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1921
1921
Exhibited at Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, 1925
1925
Exhibited three works, including: 'Maisoead Ni Nuisin' (Cyrillic script, cat. no. 334, £30); 'Ingean Lip' (Cyrillic script, cat. no. 337, £30).
Personal and Professional Connections
Related to Seamus Murphy
Seamus Murphy married Joseph Higgins' daughter, Maighread Higgins in 1944 and cast many of his father-in-law's works in bronze.
Sources
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the Eighty-Fifth Annual Exhibition, 1914 RHA Annual Exhibition Catalogues
1914
p. 37 (537)
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the Eighty-Fourth Exhibition, 1913 RHA Annual Exhibition Catalogues
1913
p. 42 (558)
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the Eighty-Ninth Exhibition, 1918 RHA Annual Exhibition Catalogues
1918
p. 28 (348-49) and p. 29, 1 item in glass case, containing 6 sculptures and 15 miniatures, no. 3: 'Portrait of a Child in Limewood'.
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the Eighty-Third Exhibition, 1912 RHA Annual Exhibition Catalogues
1912
p. 36 (504, 507)
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the Ninety-Second Exhibition, 1921
1921
Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts, Catalogue of the Ninety-Sixth Exhibition, 1925
1925
Seamus Murphy RHA, 1907-1975
2007 (Presumed)
http://www.seamusmurphysculptor.com/josephhiggins.html accessed 12 October 2009
The Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland Catalogue of the Fourth Exhibition, 1910
1910
p. 32
Citing this record
'Mr Joseph Higgins', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib3_1218894610, accessed 31 Mar 2023]
