For much of the last century, it seemed that the first Earl of Charlemont would be remembered only for the construction of two buildings: his Dublin townhouse in what is now Parnell Square and the Marino Casino. Maurice Craig's study of the earl being out of print since the late 1940s, this remained Charlemont's fate until the bicentenary of his death in 1999 produced a resurgence of interest in one of 18th-century Ireland's most remarkable, and patriotic, figures. First came the late Cynthia O'Connor's biography, concentrating particularly on her subject's grand tour and its results, and then a symposium devoted to Charlemont held in the National Gallery of Ireland. The papers presented on the latter occasion have now been published together in honour of a former member of the gallery's staff, Michael Wynne. And, as the book's title indicates, they add still further to our knowledge not just of Charlemont but also of the world in which he moved.
The nature of the contributors' interests and expertise means that this collection tends to focus on the cultural rather than political activities of the period; only James Kelly's essay looks at Charlemont's parliamentary activities as "a `genuine' whig and patriot".
The book's other striking quality is the tentative character of so many pieces. Thus Christine Casey wonders whether there might be a connection between the persons responsible for the decoration of Charlemont House and 86 St Stephen's Green. Kerry Bristol ponders on who could have been James "Athenian " Stuart's patron at Rathfarnham Castle. Teresa Watts puzzles on what might have been the design of Charlemont's Egyptian (or possibly gothic) room in the grounds of Marino House. And John Loughman speculates about which old master paintings may have been owned by the earl.
To point out this shared feature is not intended as an act of negative criticism; rather, it highlights how much work still remains to be undertaken in the field, hampered like so much in Irish history by a paucity of primary source material.
However, other essays are more conclusive. It is a pleasure to read additional information from Joseph McDonnell about Charlemont's friend while on grand tour, Joseph Henry, who would later return to Ireland and settle at Straffan, Co Kildare. Henry, a kinsman of the earls of Milltown, was a noted connoisseur, the original owner of Joshua Reynolds's parody of Raphael's School of Athens. It has also recently been discovered that he was the author of a fine essay on the same Renaissance painter's Madonna del Pesce, written during his travels in Spain in the mid-1750s.
Also worth mentioning are Helen Byrne's study of the sculptor and stonemason Simon Vierpyl, and Judy Egerton's examination of the friendship between Charlemont and William Hogarth, in which the artist often appears to have been placed at a disadvantage due to the earl's pecuniary problems.
None the less, Charlemont came to own a number of Hogarth's pictures, including The Lady's Last Stake and Calais Gate. That these have long since left Ireland was due to the poverty inherited by the earl's descendants and their tendency during the course of the 19th century to dispose, discreetly, of items he had assembled. Hence the problems facing John Loughman, for example, when he attempts to reconstruct Charlemont's art collection, as well as John Coleman who writes about a now-lost portrait of the earl by Reynolds.
However, for all the uncertainty and air of incompletion, this is a fascinating body of work, enhancing our knowledge of pre-Union Ireland. Having read through the book, every reader will not only be better informed of the period, but also - just as importantly - wish to learn more. Lord Charlemont and His Circle thereby becomes a starting point and not a conclusion.
Robert O'Byrne is an author and an Irish Times journalist