Property from a Private Irish Collection (lots 108-113)Samuel Frederick Brocas (1792-1847) was the second son of Henry Brocas (1762-1837), a painter and engraver who exhibited frequently in Dublin, and was Master of the Landscape and Ornament School of the Royal Dublin Society. Samuel was a successful student at the Dublin Society Schools, and contributed to the exhibitions of the Dublin Society, the Royal Hibernian Academy, and the Society of Irish Artists. Lots 108-112 were executed by Brocas for a series of views of Dublin, published as coloured etchings made by his brother, Henry Brocas Jun. (circa 1798-1873). The ambitious project was originally to create a series of books illustrating the topography of Ireland, but this was never realised. Of the 21 views of Dublin originally promised, only ten were actually engraved, over a period of ten years from 1820, and were published individually. Whilst lots 108, 109, and 111 here correspond with known engravings, the others do not, and probably relate to the unexecuted prints. Examples of Brocas's watercolours are held by the National Gallery of Ireland, the Victorian and Albert Museum, and the British Museum.

Samuel Frederick Brocas (Dublin 1792-1847)

The General Post Office and Nelson's Pillar, Sackville Street, with the Dublin Lying-in Hospital beyond

Details

Samuel Frederick Brocas (Dublin 1792-1847)
The General Post Office and Nelson's Pillar, Sackville Street, with the Dublin Lying-in Hospital beyond
pen and ink and watercolour
13¾ x 21¼ in. (34.9 x 54 cm.)

Literature

J.R. Abbey, Scenery of Great Britain and Ireland in aquatint and lithography 1770-1860, London, 1952, p. 318, under no. 476 as 'View of the Post Office and Nelson Pillar, Sackville Street./Dublin'.

Engraved

Henry Brocas, published J. Le Petit, 20 Capel Street, Dublin.

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Iona Ballantyne

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Lot Essay

The General Post Office on Sackville Street, modern day O'Connell Street, is perhaps the most iconic of Dublin's buildings, serving as the headquarters of the Irish Republicans during the Easter Rising of 1916. The adjacent Nelson’s Pillar survived the Rising but was destroyed by Republicans in 1966. The rotunda of the Dublin Lying-in Hospital, today the Rotunda Gate Theatre, is visible, as is the spire of the St George’s church.

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