In 1869, Henry Doyle became the second Director of the fledgling National Gallery, Anne Hodge recalls his initiatives in shaping the first-class collection on view today
Browsing through the National Gallery of Ireland’s rooms today, one sees many great paintings by famous European painters. Pictures that stand out include Francis Danby’s apocalyptic The Opening of the Sixth Seal, Reynolds’ larger than life portrait of the gorgeously dressed Charles Coote the 1st Earl of Bellamont (Fig 7), Rembrandt’s The Rest on the Flight into Egypt (Fig 3), the moving Ecce Homo by Titian, and Poussin’s solemn masterpiece The Lamentation over the Dead Christ. All of these paintings were purchased by the Gallery’s second director Henry Doyle over his twenty-three year tenure, the longest in the Gallery’s history
