Thomas Roberts
, Irish, 1748-1777
Title
The Weir in Lucan House DemesneDatec.1773-1775
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
60.6 x 99.6 cm
Credit LinePurchased, 1983 (Shaw Fund)
Object numberNGI.4465
ProvenanceCommissioned together with three paintings by Agmondisham Vesey of Lucan House; by desent to Captain R. St John Colthurst; Auction, 29 September 1925, Lucan House Sale, lot 115; purchased, Wright family, County Monaghan; purchased, Private Collection, 1983 (the set of four NGI. 4463-4466)
Exhibition HistoryAcquisitions 1982-83, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1983Thomas Roberts, 1748-1777, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 28 March - 28 June 2009
Label TextRoberts’s Lucan pictures exemplify the artist’s early interest in depicting water in various states. In all of his views, the sluggish appearance of the Liffey belies its threatening character when in spate. Up to the eighteenth century, floods had claimed successive bridges and, more tragically, the lives of locals and their animals as they made their way along the banks of the river. Here, the angler in the middle ground casting his line, and the two gentlemen engaging in relaxed conversation closer to the weir, contribute to the serene mood of the picture.
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