Dublin Bay from the Hills above Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin

Although best known as a portrait painter, lots 182 and 183 show Birley's considerable ability as a landscape painter. It is thought that both views were executed circa 1921, around the time he married the Irish beauty Rhoda Vava Lecky Pike, the daughter of Robert Lecky Pike, of Kilnock, Co. Carlow. Technically, a broader brushstroke can be seen in the works, introduced by Birley in the 1920s. Dublin Bay from the Hills above Rathfarnham is of particular interest as it documents the area before the extensive development later in the century.