Chimneypiece Design in Ireland, 1730-1770; Consumption, Authorship & Construction

Niamh Darling
Trinity College Dublin
Department of History of Art and Architecture
2020
BA

Subject: Architecture
Country: Ireland
Period: 18th Century

10,000 words

This study explores the factors influencing chimneypiece design in Ireland during the eighteenth century. Tracing the movement from bespoke design to serial production, this dissertation links changes in chimneypiece design to the rise of speculative housing in Dublin which resulted in a fractured approach to interior design, arguably freeing the chimneypiece from its architectural fabric and celebrating its decorative function. Taking into consideration social, economic and industrial factors, this dissertation highlights the client and craftsman as contributors to the design process rather than crediting leading contemporary architects with the sole responsibiliy of design. This disseratation posits that chimneypieces were produced and designed within a collaborative matrix and the explores the complexities of design authorship.

Irish Georgian Society

Education Theses Register

Chimneypiece Design in Ireland, 1730-1770; Consumption, Authorship & Construction