The Dublin Drawing Room

Scottish-born and educated Henry Robertson Craig settled in Dublin and developed a clientele in Irish society. Working at the country seats of prominent Ascendancy families and also at the nation's mountains and seashore, he produced portraits, landscapes, and equestrian scenes. The Dublin Drawing Room is an example of the artist's interior group portraits, or "conversation pieces." The seated figure in this painting has been identified as Sir Peter Alexander Clutterbuck (a.k.a. Sir Alexander Clutterbuck), the British Ambassador to Ireland from 1955-1959; the standing figure is unidentified. The profusion of objets d'art and books, the layering of art works on the walls, and the self-consciously placed display easel speak to the aesthetic sensibilities and social status of the figures.

Video tour from the exhibit opening at the Yale Center for British Arts, September 1997 The presentation of Dublin in paintings watch the video [1 minute 31 seconds] Each video clip above requires the RealPlayer, available at http://www.real.com. To view the video, just click on the links above. Downloading and installation instructions are also available.