Muirne Lydon reveals the original brilliance of Murillo’s Prodigal Son as degraded varnish and old restorations are painstakingly removed from the 17th-century series at the National Gallery of Ireland
The National Gallery of Ireland’s collection of Spanish paintings is particularly rich in works of the 17th century, the Golden Age of Spanish painting. One of the highlights of this collection is a series of six paintings by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617 – 1682) based on the parable of the Prodigal Son. An exciting conservation project to restore these works is currently underway in the Gallery’s Conservation Department. Nothing is known of the provenance of the series until the 19th century, when the paintings passed through the hands of various Spanish noblemen including the Marqués de Narros, Jóse de Madrazo and the Marqués de Salamanca. The latter had acquired five of the six scenes in 1850 with the sixth, The return of the Prodigal Son going to Queen Isabella of Spain who presented it to Pope Pius IX in 1856.
Using a selection of germane quotations Rolf Loeber recalls his mentor, the late Maurice Craig; their literary exchange taking the form of a tete-a-tete.
Cosmopolitan yet connected to local issues, Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt played a prominent role in promoting Ireland’s cultural institutions at a pivotal time in their early history, writes Philip McEvansoneya
Michael Quane’s sculpture celebrates the ordinary citizen rather than leading political figures, writes Peter Murray in his appraisal of the Cork-born artist