Van der Hagen wall hangings to be displayed at State Apartments, Dublin Castle
After an absence of nearly 300 year rediscovered wall hangings by Willem van der Hagen, the Dutch painter who settled in Ireland in the 1720’s, are to go on display at the State Apartments in Dublin Castle. Made to disguise unsightly walls in the old hall at the castle ahead of a grand ball hosted by Lord Lieutenant Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset they are regarded as the earliest surviving party decorations. A suite of capriccios transformed the hall into an Italian fantasy complete with garden follies, Italianate palaces and rustic landscapes. They were not intended to last but in the early 1970’s they were uncovered under layers of wallpaper during alterations at Knole, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Dorset in Kent. In 2024 the 13 painted canvases were acquired by the OPW and prepared for display. Irreverant Ireland – The Lost Ballroom of Dublin Castle will be open to the public soon.
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