47-573: Russborough House is a stately house near the Blessington Lakes in County Wicklow , Republic of Ireland . Located between the towns of Blessington and Ballymore Eustace , it is an outstanding example of Palladian architecture , designed by Richard Cassels (also commonly known as Richard Castle) for Joseph Leeson, 1st Earl of Milltown and built between 1741 and 1755. With a frontage measuring 210 m (690 ft), it may be
94-645: A Music Room complete a symmetrical arrangement. The ceilings of several rooms and the main stairhall feature elaborate stucco work attributed to the Swiss-Italian stuccodores, Paolo and Filippo Lafrancini. Russborough has housed two fine art collections, begun with the Milltown estate, whose collection was donated to the National Gallery of Ireland by the widow of the sixth earl, Lady Geraldine Milltown in 1902. Sir Alfred and Clementine, Lady Beit,
141-685: A breeding species in Ireland, can sometimes be seen here. The Blessington Greenway walk is 6.5 km in length and links the historic town of Blessington with the Palladian mansion at Russborough House . The trail starts in Blessington village and leads south to the Avon Ri Activity Centre at the southern end of the town and weaves its way along the lake shores and forestry, crosses an ancient medieval Ringfort, and then uses
188-606: A cousin of the Mitford sisters , bought the house in 1952 where he housed his own family's collection, started by his uncle, Alfred Beit , comprising works by many great artists, including Goya , Vermeer , Peter Paul Rubens and Thomas Gainsborough . Sir Alfred and Lady Beit established the Alfred Beit Foundation as a registered charity in 1976 to safeguard the house and collections for future generations. In 1987, they donated seventeen of their finest paintings to
235-643: A portrait of Johann Christian Bach , the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach . Bach's former teacher Padre Martini of Bologna, Italy, was assembling a collection of portraits of musicians, and Bach asked Gainsborough to paint his portrait as part of this collection. The portrait now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 1780, he painted the portraits of King George III and Queen Charlotte and afterwards received other royal commissions. In February 1780, his daughter Molly
282-460: A secluded and overgrown corner of a garden to read a letter, her pose recalling the traditional representation of Melancholy. Gainsborough emphasised the relationship between Mrs Douglas and her environment by painting the clouds behind her and the drapery billowing across her lap with similar silvery violet tones and fluid brushstrokes. This portrait was included in his first private exhibition at Schomberg House in 1784. In 1776, Gainsborough painted
329-524: A second hydroelectric station in Ireland , Ardnacrusha on the River Shannon being the first. The reservoir is one of two major sources of Dublin 's water supply , the other major supply being Vartry Reservoir in east Wicklow. Between 1938 and 1940, 76 houses were demolished, and the bridges at Humphreystown, Baltyboys, and Burgage blown up, in anticipation of the flooding of the valley for
376-525: A self-portrait, now in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London . In 1759, Gainsborough and his family moved to Bath , living at number 17 The Circus . There, he studied portraits by van Dyck and was eventually able to attract a fashionable clientele. In 1761, he began to send work to the Society of Arts exhibition in London (now the Royal Society of Arts , of which he
423-541: A surface area 22.26 km , making it the largest artificial reservoir in Ireland by capacity and surface area. It has a 44.3 km (27.5-mile) shoreline, and is 39.6 km (24.6 miles) from the sea. It was created between 1937 and 1947, with flooding beginning at 10:00 on 3 March 1940 by damming the River Liffey at Poulaphouca as part of the Electricity Supply Board project to build
470-597: A truly lavish interior. It remained in the possession of the Earls of Milltown until the sixth earl. On the death of his widow in 1914 it passed to a nephew, Edmund Turton , who rarely stayed there. On Turton's death in 1929, his widow sold the house to Captain Denis Bowes Daly in 1931. Between 1937 and 1940, the Liffey valley in front of the house was flooded in order to create Poulaphouca Reservoir , also known as
517-569: Is 38 MW. The Kaplan turbines of the Poulaphouca station were delivered by the Swiss manufacturer Ateliers des Charmilles from Geneva , Switzerland . Each turbine has a capacity of 25,300 horsepower at a hydraulic head of 50.5 m. The contract was executed in collaboration with English Electric from London . The reservoir is sometimes known as "lakes" due to its shape, which arises because it lies in not one but two river valleys - that of
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#1732797929347564-405: Is a 2 km maze, craft courtyard of artisan studios and The National Bird of Prey Centre. On 7 February 2010, a fire severely damaged the west wing and caused part of the roof to collapse. No art was damaged, having been removed along with furniture to allow for restorations to the west wing. Initial examinations of the damage suggested an electrical fault from wiring in the roof may have sparked
611-521: Is a classical Palladian villa made up of a central block containing the principal rooms and two wings housing the servants and stable blocks to the east and west. Castle enhanced his core design with a wealth of features. The Greek orders are observed in the Doric columns of the colonnades and the Corinthian columns that flank the main entrance, supporting a fused portico enriched with swags of flowers. At
658-537: Is an active reservoir (for both water supply and electricity generation) and area of wild bird conservation in west County Wicklow , Ireland named after the Poulaphouca waterfall on its south-western end where the water exits the lake. The lake is also commonly known as the Blessington Lakes , even though there is just one. It holds 166 billion litres (43.8 billion gallons, or 0.2 cubic km) and has
705-610: Is credited (with Richard Wilson ) as the originator of the 18th-century British landscape school. Gainsborough was a founding member of the Royal Academy . Gainsborough was born in Sudbury , Suffolk, the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woollen goods, and his wife Mary , sister of the Reverend Humphry Burroughs. One of Gainsborough's brothers, Humphrey , is said to have invented
752-456: Is ever traced in his paintings". In the 1780s, Gainsborough used a device he called a "Showbox" to compose landscapes and display them backlit on glass. The original box is on display in the Victoria & Albert Museum with a reproduction transparency. He died of cancer on 2 August 1788 at the age of 61. According to his daughter Peggy, his last words were " van Dyck ". He is interred in
799-553: Is named after him. The art historian Michael Rosenthal described Gainsborough as "one of the most technically proficient and, at the same time, most experimental artists of his time". He was noted for the speed with which he applied paint, and he worked more from observations of nature (and of human nature) than from application of formal academic rules. The poetic sensibility of his paintings caused Constable to say, "On looking at them, we find tears in our eyes and know not what brings them." Gainsborough's enthusiasm for landscapes
846-424: Is not such a set of Enemies to a real artist in the world as they are, if not kept at a proper distance. They think ... that they reward your merit by their Company & notice; but I ... know that they have but one part worth looking at, and that is their Purse; their Hearts are seldom near enough the right place to get a sight of it. Gainsborough was so keen a viol da gamba player that he had at this stage five of
893-429: Is now a house-museum dedicated to his life and art. As a boy he demonstrated impressive drawing and painting skills. At the age of ten he was painting heads and small landscapes, including a miniature self-portrait. Gainsborough left home in 1740 to study art in London, where he trained under engraver Hubert Gravelot but became associated with William Hogarth and his school. He assisted Francis Hayman in decorating
940-676: Is shown in the way he merged figures of the portraits with the scenes behind them. His landscapes were often painted at night by candlelight, using a tabletop arrangement of stones, pieces of mirrors, broccoli, and the like as a model. His later work was characterised by a light palette and easy, economical strokes. Gainsborough's only known assistant was his nephew, Gainsborough Dupont . His more famous works, The Blue Boy ; Mr and Mrs Andrews ; Portrait of Mrs. Graham ; Mary and Margaret: The Painter's Daughters ; William Hallett and His Wife Elizabeth, nee Stephen , known as The Morning Walk ; and Cottage Girl with Dog and Pitcher , display
987-469: Is still reflected in the remnants of the extensive lawn and terraces with a shaped pond in the middle to the north of the house. Meanwhile, to the south there is a more naturalistic prospect with rolling fields, serpentine lakes and mature woodland. It remains an almost intact example of an Irish demesne from this period, with features such as the Walled Garden, the ice-house and the lime kiln. There
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#17327979293471034-419: The 1750s and had remained in the house for most of the last 260 years. In addition it exhibits one of the finest private collections of 18th-century silver and porcelain in Ireland, including significant pieces by Meissen and Sèvres . The Russborough demesne extends to 200 acres, with a number of walks, gardens and original 18th century features. From the start, the estate was laid out to a formal design. This
1081-627: The Blessington Lakes. Sir Alfred Beit bought Russborough in 1952 from Captain Daly to house his art collection and in 1976 established the Alfred Beit Foundation, a registered charity, to manage the property. Described as Ireland's most beautiful Georgian house, the foundation opened the historic mansion and its collections to the Irish public in 1978. Beit died in 1994 and Lady Beit remained in residence until her own death in 2005. Russborough
1128-451: The Liffey and, primarily, that of the King's River. The King's River joined the Liffey at Baltiboys, at which point it was the larger flow, and when the Liffey was dammed upstream of the confluence, the King's River Valley was flooded far to the south. A ridge of land, on which the village of Valleymount lies, divides the southern part of the reservoir. The goosander , recently arrived as
1175-694: The National Gallery of Ireland. Russborough opened to the public as a museum and visitor attraction in 1978. Among the Collection's treasures still in Russborough are an outstanding array of eighteenth-century French and English furniture, many important paintings from the 17th to 20th centuries, including paintings by Jean-Baptiste Oudry , Adriaen van Ostade and Claude-Joseph Vernet . Four Vernet paintings entitled 'Morning', 'Midday', 'Sunset', and 'Night' were actually painted for Russborough in
1222-464: The Poulaphouca hydroelectric power station. The Poulaphouca Reservoir supplies the three power stations along the River Liffey, which are located in Poulaphouca, Golden Falls and Leixlip . Poulaphouca has the largest capacity with two 15 MW generators driven by Kaplan turbines , the other two stations have a capacity of 4 MW each, so the total capacity of the power stations on the River Liffey
1269-518: The Violoncello in a Landscape (c. 1750–1752; Tate Gallery, London). In 1752, he and his family, now including two daughters, Mary ("Molly", 1750–1826) and Margaret ("Peggy", 1751–1820), moved to Ipswich. Commissions for portraits increased, but his clients included mainly local merchants and squires. He had to borrow against his wife's annuity. Toward the end of his time in Ipswich, he painted
1316-590: The bottom of the flight of granite steps the visitor is greeted by a pair of heraldic lions, bearers of the Leeson arms. Russborough's central block contains seven principal rooms on the ground floor with the largest, the Entrance Hall at centre of the south front, and the main reception room, the Saloon placed directly to its north. The other five rooms, originally comprising two Drawing Rooms, two Dining Rooms, and
1363-491: The churchyard St Anne's Church, Kew , Surrey, (located on Kew Green). It was his express wish to be buried near his friend Joshua Kirby . Later his wife and nephew Gainsborough Dupont were interred with him. Coincidentally Johan Zoffany and Franz Bauer are also buried in the graveyard. In 2011, an appeal was given to pay the costs of restoration of his tomb, and the tomb was restored in 2012. A street in Kew, Gainsborough Road,
1410-472: The demands of such work and that it prevented him from pursuing his preferred artistic interests. In a letter to a friend in the 1760s Gainsborough wrote: "I'm sick of Portraits and wish very much to take my Viol da Gamba and walk off to some sweet Village where I can paint Landskips [landscapes] and enjoy the fag End of Life in quietness and ease". Of the men he had to deal with as patrons and admirers, and their pretensions, he wrote: ... damn Gentlemen, there
1457-515: The fire. Portions of the Russborough collection have been stolen four times . These include thefts in: 1974 by an IRA gang including British heiress Rose Dugdale ; in 1986 by Martin Cahill (nicknamed "The General"); in 2001, and in 2002 by Martin Cahill's associate Martin Foley. Two paintings, Gainsborough's Madame Bacelli and Vermeer's Lady writing a Letter with her Maid , the latter probably
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1504-462: The footpath along part of the N81 before turning back into the forest at Burgage Moyle lane. The Greenway follows the lakeshore and phase 2 is underway, with the goal of a 30 km greenway around the reservoir for walking, cycling and other recreational activities. Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough RA FRSA ( / ˈ ɡ eɪ n z b ər ə / ; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788)
1551-467: The house was used in the 2012 mini series Titanic: Blood and Steel . The 2023 film Baltimore was about the theft and recovery of nineteen old master paintings from the collection, valued at IR£8 million, by British heiress Rose Dugdale and other IRA members. Blessington Lake Poulaphouca Reservoir , officially Pollaphuca (from Irish Poll a' Phúca , meaning 'the Púca 's hole'),
1598-608: The instruments, three made by Henry Jaye and two by Barak Norman . In 1774, Gainsborough and his family moved to London to live in Schomberg House , Pall Mall. A commemorative blue plaque was put on the house in 1951. In 1777, he again began to exhibit his paintings at the Royal Academy, including portraits of contemporary celebrities, such as the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland. Exhibitions of his work continued for
1645-476: The longest house in Ireland. The interior contains fine ornate plasterwork on the ceilings by the Lafranchini brothers , who also collaborated with Castle on Carton House . Russborough contains an important private collection of European fine and decorative arts, including furniture, silver, porcelain and paintings. Russborough is open to visitors and is located on a 200-acre (81 ha) estate, with many of
1692-415: The method of condensing steam in a separate vessel, which was of great service to James Watt ; another brother, John, was known as Scheming Jack because of his passion for designing curiosities. The artist spent his childhood at what is now Gainsborough's House , on Gainsborough Street, Sudbury. He later resided there following the death of his father in 1748 and before his move to Ipswich. The building
1739-549: The most valuable painting of the collection, were stolen twice across the thefts, although each was subsequently recovered (the latter in 1993, the same year as the recovery of Goya's Portrait of Dona Antonia Zarate ). Russborough House was used as a setting in 2011 film Haywire , and the 2016 film Love & Friendship . The house was featured in Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Castle . The external view of
1786-438: The next six years. About this time, Gainsborough began experimenting with printmaking using the then-novel techniques of aquatint and soft-ground etching . During the 1770s and 1780s Gainsborough developed a type of portrait in which he integrated the sitter into the landscape. An example of this is his portrait of Frances Browne, Mrs John Douglas (1746–1811) which can be seen at Waddesdon Manor . The sitter has withdrawn to
1833-557: The original 18th-century features still in place including the Walled Garden, the ice-house, the lime kiln and the serpentine lakes. There is a restaurant, shop and 2 km (1.2 mi) maze. The Leeson family originated in Northamptonshire and had moved to Ireland in the second half of the 17th century. A sizeable fortune made in brewing and property development in Dublin passed down to Joseph Leeson , who bought land at what
1880-430: The royal family's favourite painter, however. In his later years, Gainsborough often painted landscapes. With Richard Wilson , he was one of the originators of the eighteenth-century British landscape school; though simultaneously, in conjunction with Reynolds, he was the dominant British portraitist of the second half of the 18th century. William Jackson in his contemporary essays said of him "to his intimate friends he
1927-537: The supper boxes at Vauxhall Gardens . In 1746, Gainsborough married Margaret Burr, an illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Beaufort , who had settled a £200 annuity on her. The artist's work, then mostly consisting of landscape paintings, was not selling well. He returned to Sudbury in 1748–1749 and concentrated on painting portraits. While still in Suffolk, Gainsborough painted a portrait of The Rev. John Chafy Playing
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1974-399: The unique individuality of his subjects. His rival, Joshua Reynolds wrote that the painting Girl with Pigs was "the best picture he (Gainsborough) ever painted or perhaps ever will". Gainsborough's works became popular with collectors from the 1850s on, after Lionel de Rothschild began buying his portraits. The rapid rise in the value of pictures by Gainsborough and also by Reynolds in
2021-434: Was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds , he is considered one of the most important British artists of the second half of the 18th century. He painted quickly, and the works of his maturity are characterised by a light palette and easy strokes. Despite being a prolific portrait painter, Gainsborough gained greater satisfaction from his landscapes. He
2068-567: Was married to his musician friend Johann Christian Fischer , to Gainsborough's dismay, as he realized that Fischer was forming an attachment to Molly while carrying on flirtation with Peggy. The marriage between Molly and Fischer lasted only eight months, owing to their discord and Fischer's deceit. In 1784, Principal Painter in Ordinary Allan Ramsay died and the King was obliged to give the job to Gainsborough's rival and Academy president, Joshua Reynolds . Gainsborough remained
2115-500: Was one of the earliest members); and from 1769 he submitted works to the Royal Academy 's annual exhibitions. The exhibitions helped him enhance his reputation, and he was invited to become a founding member of the Royal Academy in 1769. His relationship with the academy was not an easy one and he stopped exhibiting his paintings in 1773. Despite Gainsborough's increasing popularity and success in painting portraits for fashionable society, he expressed frustration during his Bath period at
2162-417: Was sincere and honest and that his heart was always alive to every feeling of honour and generosity". Gainsborough did not particularly enjoy reading but letters written to his friends were penned in such an exceptional conversational manner that the style could not be equalled. As a letter writer Henry Bate-Dudley said of him "a selection of his letters would offer the world as much originality and beauty as
2209-468: Was then Russelltown. He became an MP and was made Earl of Milltown in 1763. Russborough house was designed for Joseph Leeson by Richard Castle and built between 1741 and 1755. While the house was being built Joseph embarked on two Grand Tours to acquire a suitably impressive collection of paintings, sculpture and furnishings to adorn his new home. Back at the Russborough, Ireland's and Europe's finest artisans and craftspeople were appointed by Castle to create
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