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, Irish, 1790-1863
Title
Richard Lalor Sheil, M.P. (1791-1851), Playwright and Politician
Date1847
MediumMarble
Dimensions
59 x 28.5 x 24 cm
SignedC.MOORE Sc/LONDON 1847
Credit LinePresented, Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton, 1856
Object numberNGI.8065
Label TextSheil pursued a career in law before becoming a playwright and then a politician. This sculpture was executed when he was master of the mint (1846-50). In 1851, he moved to Florence, having been appointed British minister at the court of Tuscany. Following his death there, his remains were brought home and interred in Co. Tipperary. This bust, engraved as the frontispiece of McCullagh Torren’s Memoirs of Sheil (1855), was among the first Irish sculptures acquired by the National Gallery of Ireland.