James Malton moved with his family to Dublin in 1785, where his father, Thomas Malton (1726-1801), an architectural draftsman, taught perspective. James worked for several years in the office of the distinguished architect James Gandon (1742–1823), before returning to London in 1790, where he exhibited topographical and architectural drawings at the Royal Academy. Malton published two sets of views of Dublin – the first, A Descriptive View of Dublin, in 1797. The second was published posthumously in circa 1818 and included both drawings from the first edition, and later ones. Both the Parliament House and Trinity College were published in both editions, and so it seems likely that these sheets relate to one of the two. Both editions of the book were popular and commercially successful.

James Malton (London 1766-1803 Dublin)

Parliament House and Trinity College, College Green, Dublin

Details

James Malton (London 1766-1803 Dublin)
Parliament House and Trinity College, College Green, Dublin
pen and brown ink and watercolour
10 x 14½ in. (25.4 x 36.8 cm.); and an etching by Malton, Trinity College, Dublin
(2)

Literature

J.R. Abbey, Scenery of Great Britain and Ireland in aquatint and lithography 1770-1860, London, 1952, p. 314, under no. 473 as 'View of Parliament House, College Green'

Engraved

J. Malton, 1 August 1790.

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Iona Ballantyne

iballantyne@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2210

Lot Essay

The view is taken from College Green of Edward Lovett Pearce’s original Parliament House, now the Bank of Ireland, with Trinity College on the right. An early drawing for Malton’s successful ‘Views in the City of Dublin' series, the figure of the man with two pigs on a lead in the left foreground was removed in later issues.

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