The Irish Collection in the National Gallery of Ireland

THE IRISH COLLECTION IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND SÍGHLE BHREATHNACH-LYNCH when the National Gallery of Ireland first opened its doors in 1864, Irish art was not its priority. Thus, since my 1998 appointment as Curator of Irish Paintings, I have been conscious of making history with a small “h.” Although the National Gallery owns more than one thousand oil paintings of Irish interest—a collection comprising half of the institution’s oil holdings—a special curatorial position to oversee the Irish collection was established only in 1998. The gallery’s 1868 catalogue indicates that Irish artists created only 5 paintings of 194 total. At that time, the National Gallery’s Board sought to acquire examples of the great names in the history of Western European art,1 a goal that led to the inclusion of copies as well as original paintings. The former included, for example, a copy of Rubens’ masterpiece, The Judgement of Paris. However, other paintings were purchased in the belief that they were originals—for example, The Decollation of St. John, thought to be by Caravaggio, but since reattributed to Mattia Preti. Behind this aspiration to display old master paintings lay a conscious desire to emulate the grander galleries of Europe, especially the Louvre.2 Within six years the nucleus of the permanent collection included some two hundred paintings, a small collection of old master drawings, and a collection of casts after the antique. The enthusiasm of the National Gallery’s second director, Henry Doyle (who supervised the collection from 1869 to 1892), ensured that Irish art would gain in prominence. Doyle opened one of the smaller spaces in the building as an Irish room, and in 1884 he established the National Portrait Gallery as THE IRISH COLLECTION IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND 38 1 For further information on the history of the National Gallery of Ireland, see Catherine De Courcy, The Foundation of the National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin: National Gallery of Ireland, 1985); and Homan Potterton’s introduction to the Illustrated Summary Catalogue of Paintings (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan, 1981). 2 The first catalogue of the collection, written by Director George Mulvany in time for the opening in 1864, was based on that of the Louvre. See Potterton xviii. a collection of portraits of eminent Irish men and women, as well as others, who though not of Irish birth, have been politically or socially connected with Ireland or with her historical, literary, or artistic records.3 Since these beginnings, the Irish collection has been steadily strengthened by purchases, bequests, and gifts. No longer confined to a single space, the paintings now fill more than six rooms; yet more space will become available when a new gallery extension is completed next year. As I began to explore the Irish holdings in my first weeks as curator, I immediately became aware—given the strength of the collection—of the number of paintings not on display. I discovered that nearly one-tenth of the collection is continually on loan to Irish embassies and residences throughout the world—as well as to government offices and official buildings such as Áras an Uachtaráin and Dublin Castle within Ireland. Portraits and landscape scenes are the most popular loans: the portraits serving as a reminder of major historical figures, and the landscapes recalling the country’s beauty. Although the majority of the works on loan are eighteenth- and nineteenth-century paintings, that situation is about to change. President Mary McAleese has recently expressed her interest in displaying more twentieth-century art in Áras an Uachtaráin, especially work by contemporary artists. Paintings are stored in the museum’s basement and new picture store rather than displayed in the main collection for several reasons. Some, because of their age, are in need of restoration, awaiting their turn with the conservation department. Others, like the landscapes of Nathaniel Hone the Younger (1831–1917), are so numerous that only a small representative selection can be shown at any one time. Because the Irish collection has many eighteenth-century paintings and limited space, only the most representative are chosen for display. Moreover, works by artists or groups of artists about whom...