From Rome to Russborough

As part of our Homes of Literary & Visual Giants series, this lecture will explore the tradition of the Grand Tour and the articulation of high visual culture in the 18th century, through analysis of the Milltown library, donated to the National Gallery of Ireland in 1902, and later deposited with the National Library of Ireland and the Oireachtas Library, thus shedding some new light on Irish country house libraries.

In 1744 Joseph Leeson (later 1st Earl of Milltown) embarked on his first grand tour to Italy - his purpose to gather both the material and intellectual trappings of refinement. These were essential to the furnishing of his Richard Castle designed Palladian country house at Russborough and his unerring social ambitions. In little over a decade Leeson would succeed in assembling one of Ireland’s greatest, if sometimes idiosyncratic, country house collections.

Host or Publisher National Library of Ireland