William Sadler the Younger
, Irish, 1782-1839
Title
A View of the Pigeon House, DublinDatec.1810
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions
29 x 41 cm
Credit LinePresented, Captain G. O'Grady, 1911
Object numberNGI.632
Label TextThough sometimes lacking sophistication, Sadler’s pictures, usually small and painted on panel, are the product of a lifetime of looking. Perhaps more than any Irish artist of his generation, Sadler scoured Dublin and its environs for subjects, alert to local detail. The Pigeon House, which stood in alarming isolation on Dublin’s South Wall, was a subject he returned to many times. Built originally as a hostelry, the building and surrounding complex were commandeered by a nervous War Department after the 1798 Rebellion, for military purposes.