The Four Courts, Dublin

Artist(s): Thomas Creswick (Draughtsman), Robert Brandard (Engraver)

View of the Four Courts in Dublin, from the river, north of the building. in the foreground, to the right, a man, seated on the quayside, is fishing in the river. Several rowing boats and sailing boats are moored near a bridge that occupies the centre of the image. Beyond, to the left, the Four Courts loom large. Scaffolding, with a platform and ladder, is attached to a nearby building.

Inscribed in Image

Signature – T. Creswick. / R. Brandard. / Printed by Alfred Adlard.
Caption outside of boundaries of image – The Four Courts, Dublin.

Image Details

Genre	Townscape
Technique	Etchings
Subject(s)	Architecture, Cities and towns
Geographical Location	Dublin – County Dublin – Town or city Four Courts, Dublin – Named locality Leinster – Province
Keyword(s)	Boats, Bridges, Buildings, Construction, Fishing, Government facilities, People, Rivers
Colour	Monochrome
Dimensions	10.4 cm x 12.1 cm
Published / created	1837

Bibliographical Details

Travel Account	Ireland Picturesque and Romantic
Contributor(s)	Leitch Ritchie — Role: Author of travel text
Print or manuscript	Print
Location of image in copy	opp. p. 14
Source copy	National Library of Ireland Ir 9141 r 15
Alternative source This is a link to a digital copy hosted by an external website.	http://hdl.handle.net/2027/yale.39002001929075?urlappend=%3Bseq=37
Permalink	https://ttce.universityofgalway.ie/irelandillustrated/view/image/ii_image_1368007276
Rights	Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

Related text from travel account

The courts of law are contained in a building commonly called the Four Courts, which also faces the Liffey. It is a vast and fine looking edifice, with a front of four hundred and forty feet. An immense dome, raised on a beautiful colonnade, crowns the whole pile, surmounting the great hall of the Courts. This building is new, having been opened only in 1797. The old Four Courts adjoined Christ Church Cathedral. It was approached through a place called Hell, and over the arched entrance was appropriately set up an oaken image of the Devil. The locale, however, which was so stigmatized was in reality Christ Churchyard, and the black and hideous figure may have been, for aught I know, the Pope. The story of the advertisement is well known — "To be let, furnished apartments in Hell. N. B. They are well suited for a lawyer." In "Death and Doctor Hornbook," we observe that Burns knew of this residence of his Satanic majesty: "But this that I am gaun to tell, / Which lately on a night befell, / Is just as true's the Deil's in hell. / Or Dublin city." [p. 14]