A cherub hovers on the edge of an oval frame, one hand clutching a ribbon from which in turn is suspended a basket of fruit and flowers. Part of a ceiling now in one of the rooms on south-east range of Dublin Castle it was originally created for Mespil House situated on what were then the outskirts of the city in the early 1750s. The ceiling is attributed to the stuccadore Bartholomew Cramillion, best-remembered for his work in the chapel of Dublin’s Rotunda Hospital. When Mespil House was demolished in 1951, the ceiling and two others were rescued and subsequently installed in Dublin Castle. As the further detail below demonstrates, this is one of the most glorious examples of rococo plasterwork found in the country. The Irish Aesthete wishes all readers a Happy New Year and hopes you will reach such celestial heights in 2015.
Robert, Thank you for giving us all so many hours of happy reading in 2014 and looking forward to many more from you for 2015. Good wishes and health to you and family in the New Year.
Thank you for that kind compliment, and likewise Happy New Year to you and yours…
I adore this blog How on earth did they rescue this plaster ceiling??
Wow! And Happy New Year!!! Long may you blog! The bloggers I love are dropping like flies!
Eek!
Thank you, most kind. And a Happy New Year to you also.