Lot 48: John Trotter (Irish, d. 1792)

Portrait of Robert Mack, Architect Signed and dated "J. Trotter 1784" l.r., label from Henry Naylor on the reverse. Oil on canvas, 36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm), framed. Condition: Repaired punctures, retouch, surface grime, craquelure. Provenance: A private New England collection. N.B. Prominent Dublin architect Robert Mack is perhaps most famous for the townhouse he designed for Lord Powerscourt (Richard Wingfield, 3rd Viscount, 1730-1788). Begun in 1771, and taking three years to complete at a cost of £80,000, it was constructed from granite mined from the Powerscourt estate, in the Georgian style. Unifying a transition from rococo style to neoclassical, this elegant house included an observatory above the pediment, and still stands today.