A view of Stillorgan Park and the Obelisk, Dublin bay and the harbour beyond; and A view of Stillorgan House, Co. Dublin, with elegant figures and Dublin bay beyond

The appearance of this pair of landscapes is important in understanding Gabriele Ricciardelli’s stay in Ireland. A Neapolitan by birth, Ricciardelli arrived in Dublin in 1753 and was renowned as both a portraitist and painter of landscapes, his training under J.F. van Bloemen, Il ‘Orizzonte, very much in evidence in the latter. This pair was incorrectly attributed to Dominic Serres (1722-1793), who could not be the author, as he did not arrive in Ireland before 1760. They may be compared with the pair, on a larger scale, in the Proby collection, and also, with a single painting of similar dimensions sold at Christie’s, London, 10 April, 1992, lot 46 (£33,000), all of Stillorgan Park when let by Lord Allen to the Rt. Hon. Philip Tisdall.