A glimpse of the sublime

The redecoration of a drawing room offers a fascinating insight into the aesthetic preoccupations of Grand Tourism in the mid 18th century, as John Goodall explains

Russborough House, Co Wicklow, Ireland A property of the Alfred Beit Foundation LAST year, work was completed to the restoration of a 1750s drawing room in one of Ireland’s most celebrated Georgian country houses. The re-creation of the original picture hang and decoration within this important interior was made possible by a combination of rediscoveries, scientific investigation and research. It offers a remarkable—and in some points unexpected—window into the tastes of the period. Alec Cobbe, who has overseen this project, has published a short account of the work, The Vernet Drawing Room (2024), to which this article is indebted. Russborough House was built by Joseph Leeson, Viscount Russborough from 1760 and 1st Earl of Milltown from 1763 (COUNTRY LIFE, June 10, 2009). Leeson was the son of a Dublin brewer…

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Country Life (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 26, 2025

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