A View of Dublin from Chapelizod

Commissioned by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Ashford’s panoramic view shows Dublin City and its agricultural and recreational surroundings at the end of the 18th century. Viewed from Chapelizod, the scene is topographically accurate though it features typically Claudean devices for idyllic effect, such as the use of a large tree to frame the landscape. Encompassing the Phoenix Park with its fallow deer, the Magazine Fort, the Liffey weir, farm lands, and the urban settlement, Ashford’s painting celebrates a well-governed city and its infrastructure.

This work is part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Ireland, and also features in the exhibition Shaping Ireland: Landscapes in Irish Art, which you can visit until 7 July 2019. We highly encourage you to do so!  : )

P.S. See the overwhelming treasures of medieval Irish art here!