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Attributed to Jan Peeters I , Flemish, 1624-c.1677

Title

Athlone Castle, County Westmeath

Date1650s

MediumBrown ink with black chalk on paper

Dimensions

25.3 x 38.7 cm

Credit LinePurchased, 2006

Object numberNGI.2007.1

DescriptionEarly topographical images of the Irish landscape are rare. The fanciful tower and steeply pitched roofs of the houses depicted here may indicate that this drawing is a copy by a Flemish artist after a sketch done on the spot. The plank which the donkey is crossing is significant as it allows us to date the drawing to after 1651, when a section of the bridge was damaged during Cromwell’s siege of Athlone. The castle was largely destroyed during a later campaign of 1691 and today only traces of the outer walls remain.
Inscriptionon verso: Hertlon. in Irlant
ProvenanceP.H. Lankrink; Thomas Kerrich; Sotheby's, London, 6th July 1921; purchased by Paul Oppé; purchased, Christie's, London, 5 December 2006, lot 106