Francis Bindon
, Irish, 1690-1765
Title
Portrait of Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)Dateearly 1740s
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
76 x 64 cm
Credit LinePresented, Friends of the National Collections of Ireland, 1973
Object numberNGI.4069
ProvenancePresented, Friends of the National Collections of Ireland, 1973
Exhibition HistoryThe Friends of the National Collections of Ireland: 75th Anniversary Exhibition, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, 1999Label TextFollowing an undistinguished attendance at Trinity College in his native Dublin, Jonathan Swift found employment as secretary to the English politician Sir William Temple in Surrey. He took Holy Orders, however, and began a clerical career in Ireland and England, but also became active in political circles. He spent much of his time with Tory friends, applying his brilliant and acerbic wit to political pamphlets and anti-Whig lampoons. He was appointed Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin in 1713. His many acclaimed publications of the 1720s include Gulliver’s Travels.