Mount Congreve house was designed c. 1760 by noted Waterford architect John Roberts in a Palladian style. The house was commissioned by John Congreve and his wife Mary, daughter of Beverly Ussher of Kilmeadan.
Recently Mount Congreve garden and interpretive centre
(now marketed as ‘Ireland’s Global Garden’), was officially opened by ministers
Heather Humphreys and Catherine Martin. Sadly, the contents of the house were
auctioned by Mealy Auctioneers over two days in 2012. Included in the auction
were two portraits of young men, attributed to Joseph Highmore. The paintings
can be seen hanging on the first-floor landing in old photographs.
In our section on the Big House in County Waterford
we feature one of these attractive portraits from the auction. It depicts a
young man wearing a wig, a member of the Congreve family. Its style indicates
that it was painted in the mid-18th century. Although unsigned, it has been
attributed to the English artist Joseph Highmore (1692-1780). He was a painter
of portraits, conversation pieces, and historical subjects, an illustrator and
author. In the early 20th century, the painting was ‘restored’ in Waterford,
which may have resulted in a loss of the original paint quality in sections of
the work.
Why not visit the museum and view this and other
paintings of county Waterford interest. Free admission, open Monday to Friday
10-5.
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| Portrait of member of Congreve Family- painted in mid 18th century |