Today started with our merry band going to the Dublin Castle. We walked there in just a few minutes, as it is located in the center of Dublin. The castle is also connected to a chapel, called the Chapel Royal. This chapel was originally built of wood by vikings, as with the rest of the castle. In 1684, both the chapel and a significant amount of the castle burned down. The chapel was rebuilt of stone, and, in 1807, it was rebuilt once more to be bigger. This 1807 structure is the one we see today.
The chapel has bits and pieces from many different areas, each given or commissioned very specifically. The inside is entirely plastered, with very intricate, beautiful details- there is a lot to look at. The stucco work was done by Michael Stapleton (u - 1844) a master stuccodore of the time. He was very well recognized, and the son of another important stuccodore, George Stapleton. He not only worked on the Chapel Royal, but also on buildings at Trinity College, who paid him regularly. He is even recorded as being a part of the "nobility and gentry" in 1829, after having been classified as part of the "merchants and traders" for most of his professional life. The carved wood is Irish oak, and was carved by Richard Stewart. Other pieces include an pipe organ (still working) which was given by Queen Victoria in 1861, and stained glass from France imported in 1813 by viceroy Lord Whitworth. The Chapel was quite lovely. It had a very peaceful feeling to it. The amount of detail all around is simply astounding. While it may not be as large and grand as some of the other places we saw, it still had the very quiet, thoughtful feel of the other churches, and the sheer amount of small detail made up for the small size.
The chapel has bits and pieces from many different areas, each given or commissioned very specifically. The inside is entirely plastered, with very intricate, beautiful details- there is a lot to look at. The stucco work was done by Michael Stapleton (u - 1844) a master stuccodore of the time. He was very well recognized, and the son of another important stuccodore, George Stapleton. He not only worked on the Chapel Royal, but also on buildings at Trinity College, who paid him regularly. He is even recorded as being a part of the "nobility and gentry" in 1829, after having been classified as part of the "merchants and traders" for most of his professional life. The carved wood is Irish oak, and was carved by Richard Stewart. Other pieces include an pipe organ (still working) which was given by Queen Victoria in 1861, and stained glass from France imported in 1813 by viceroy Lord Whitworth. The Chapel was quite lovely. It had a very peaceful feeling to it. The amount of detail all around is simply astounding. While it may not be as large and grand as some of the other places we saw, it still had the very quiet, thoughtful feel of the other churches, and the sheer amount of small detail made up for the small size.
The Dublin Castle, originally built by vikings and rebuilt after being burned down in 1684. Originally, the vikings built this as a fortress with a moat and four towers. After having been burnt down, it was rebuilt to be less of a military power and more of a political center. For many years, it was the home of the British viceroy (the man designated to look over Ireland for the king). This castle is now a place to receive foreign and Irish dignitaries. The president is inaugurated here as well.
Our tour guide, Miles, led us through the different rooms of the castle, most of which are various parlors for entertaining dignitaries. Like the Chapel, there is an amazing quantity of plaster molding all over the castle, especially on the ceilings, and bits and pieces imported from all over Ireland. The crystal chandeliers, which hang in nearly every room, are from Waterford, while the bright, handmade carpets were commissioned from Killybegs. The Portrait Gallery, home of the order of St. Partick, is home to the standards of all the families awarded this honor. Overall, this entire palace is full of symbols and pieces of Irish history. Nearly every bit of art and decoration in the castle has some message for the viewer, about Ireland or the relations between Ireland and Britain when they were created. I thought this was fascinating, as it is another example of extremely politicized art. Rulers have a long history of using works of art to send messages to their fellow politicians or subjects, and this building is no exception to the trend.
Our tour guide, Miles, led us through the different rooms of the castle, most of which are various parlors for entertaining dignitaries. Like the Chapel, there is an amazing quantity of plaster molding all over the castle, especially on the ceilings, and bits and pieces imported from all over Ireland. The crystal chandeliers, which hang in nearly every room, are from Waterford, while the bright, handmade carpets were commissioned from Killybegs. The Portrait Gallery, home of the order of St. Partick, is home to the standards of all the families awarded this honor. Overall, this entire palace is full of symbols and pieces of Irish history. Nearly every bit of art and decoration in the castle has some message for the viewer, about Ireland or the relations between Ireland and Britain when they were created. I thought this was fascinating, as it is another example of extremely politicized art. Rulers have a long history of using works of art to send messages to their fellow politicians or subjects, and this building is no exception to the trend.
Because the viceroys lived here, many preparations were made for the visits of the kings. George IV, in particular, spent many days in Dublin, as his mistress lived there. A large, grand throne was built for him, with a gilded canopy representing the lion of Britain and the Unicorn of Scotland biting down on the harp of Ireland. This was very true of the politics of the time- Britain and Scotland were fiercely holding on to Ireland, and were not afraid to proclaim it to the Irish. The King George IV was a tall, large man, and so this larger-than-life throne was built for him. Ironically, when the very young Queen Victoria came to visit Ireland, the viceroy was afraid that she would look too tiny and insignificant in the throne, as the was a young, short, slight girl. Because of this, they built her a footstool, to stop her legs from dangling above the ground. Stories say that they also sawed off the bottom parts of the legs to the throne, to put it closer to the ground. Either way, the throne is still one imposing piece of furniture.
One more small anecdote about the Dublin Castle. On the two symmetrical arches around Bedford Tower are the statues of Courage, to the left, and Justice, to the right. Courage is depicted as a man with a sword and lion, while Justice is a woman with robes and scales. The people of Dublin, however, had certain qualms about the way Justice was portrayed. Firstly, she is missing her blindfold, which is traditionally put on the figure to show she is impartial. Her sword, which is usually placed facing downwards, peacefully, is placed provocatively upwards here. She also has her back turned away from the city Dublin, and is facing the viceroys' palace. The particular statue of Justice was also holding working scales originally. This seemed like a good idea at the creation of the statue, but, each time rain fell, the scales would collect it unevenly, and Justice would be holding miss-weighted scales. In other words, to the people of Dublin, this version of Justice was one that was partial, prejudiced, aggressive, and turned her back on them. The anger against the work was so strongly felt that a rhyme was written about it, which became known throughout popular culture. This rhyme goes, "The Statue of Justice, mark well her station, her face to the castle, her arse to the nation!" and is still known by people in Dublin today. I thought that this was really interesting. We write art off as just for show, but in this case, the statue was seen as not just poorly made, but as a statement against the common people. This sort of power is very impressive, and shows the extent of the power of art, and the details within it. Such seemingly little things can turn a statue from a decorative piece to a hostile political statement. this castle definitely taught me that, when it comes to political buildings, every little details of a work will be analysed, scrutinized, and expected to mean something.
After the tour of the castle, we went and had lunch at the Silk Road, a cafe that is part of the Chester Beatty Library, a building that holds much of the collection of the millionaire Chester Beatty. The food, a mix of Asian and Mediterranean was beyond delicious, and Adam, Josh, Austin, Peter and I ended up having a long, interesting discussion, covering all sorts of topics including politics, history, and relations between nations. We then spent a while in the park, before returning for a quick tour of the the Beatty collection. We were all wonderstruck and fell in love with the collection (especially Josh and I, thanks to our semesters of art history). We had to leave, but all plan on returning to see it again tomorrow.
We then had the honor of being invited to the Fulbright Commissions Awards Reception, to honor the graduate students who had earned the Fulbright prizes. This took place at the Ambassador's residence in Phoenix Park, which is a gorgeous place. The food was good, the company was lovely, and location was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The evening was just lovely, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, while meeting some of the most influential people in the Fulbright organization.
We then had the honor of being invited to the Fulbright Commissions Awards Reception, to honor the graduate students who had earned the Fulbright prizes. This took place at the Ambassador's residence in Phoenix Park, which is a gorgeous place. The food was good, the company was lovely, and location was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The evening was just lovely, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, while meeting some of the most influential people in the Fulbright organization.