Ruins of the Royal Arcade

Henry O'Neill , Irish, 1798-1880

Title

Datec. 1837

MediumWatercolour on paper

Dimensions

35.6 × 48.3 cm

Credit LinePurchased, 2024

Object numberNGI.2024.5

DescriptionThis technically accomplished watercolour depicts a scene of devastation following the outbreak of fire in the magnificent ‘Royal Arcade’. In 1819 a grand new shopping arcade was built to connect College Green with Suffolk Street at a cost of £16,000. The first floor was fitted out as a bazaar with 200 feet of counters for casual traders, while the ground floor housed 30 individual shops. There were also supper and card rooms, a theatre and an art gallery. During the night of April 23rd 1837, the building went on fire and despite efforts by the fire brigade, the building was completely destroyed. This watercolour is a compositionally complex rendering of the scene. The artist cleverly uses two vertical elements of the burnt out buildings to frame the foreground. Through this frame, beyond the smoking ruins, the elegant Parliament Building on College Green can be seen. Tiny figures among the rubble provide interest and scale. O’Neill was interested in recording historical events. For example, he made a series of drawings of the rooms Daniel O’Connell and his associates were housed in when they were incarcerated in the Richmond Bridewell in 1844.
ProvenancePrivate collection; sold through Pyms, London, 2002; Purchased, 2024Exhibition HistoryRoyal Hiberian Academy Annual Exhibition, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, 1837