CIRCA 1795

Details

AN IRISH SIENA, BRECHE VIOLETTE AND STATUARY MARBLE CHIMNEYPIECE
CIRCA 1795
With outset column jambs supporting the frieze centred by a tablet emblematic of Trade, with Britannia seated on a quayside, the end blockings with lighthouses set above rocky outcrops
59 in. (151 cm.) high; 78 in. (200 cm.) wide; 10 in. (26.7 cm.) deep; the opening 45 in. (115.5 cm.) x 46 in. (117.5 cm.)

Provenance

Acquired when the Commissioners of Irish Lights moved its headquarters from Dublin to a purpose-built new building in Harbour Road, Dun Laoghaire.
The Commissioners of Irish Lights were established under an act of the Parliament of Ireland passed in 1786 and entitled 'An Act for Promoting the Trade of Dublin by rendering its Port and Harbour more commodious'.

Special notice

This lot will be removed to an off-site warehouse at the close of business on the day of sale - 2 weeks free storage VAT rate of 15% is payable on hammer price plus buyer's premium.

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Lot Essay

The centre tablet of the present chimneypiece depicts Britannia to the left receiving dues from a youth beside a cargo of caskets and bales with the top of ships' masts in the background. This represents the trading interests and new role of the Commissioners of Irish Lights and the lighthouses carved either side also suggests its authority to oversee and maintain all the local lighthouses in Ireland.

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