In a somewhat bittersweet announcement, Waterford Treasures are delighted to have been able to accept an exceedingly generous bequest from our dear friend, advisor, benefactor and former board member – the late Dr. John Maiben Gilmartin.
Dr. Gilmartin was a prominent art historian and respected scholar, who held seats on several important boards and committees throughout the country. He was an active member of the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland (where he served as president for many years), the Irish Georgian Society and the Huguenot Society of Ireland. Over the course of a long, prestigious, and varied career, Dr. Gilmartin made many friends – including all of us here at Waterford Treasures – and he is sorely missed by the academic world in Ireland.
During his time on the board of the museum, he loaned many important and fascinating objects to us for display in the Bishop’s Palace, and in the wake of his sad passing we are immensely grateful to learn that he entrusted these treasured items to our care.
Among the objects bequeathed to us is a superb collection of Waterford drinking glasses c1820, a portrait of James III – the ‘Old Pretender’, a monstrance commissioned by Waterford’s great Mayor and father of the revolutionary – Thomas Meagher, a stunning eighteenth-century chausable and a Mullins/ Roberts classical landscape painting depicting Argus and Io.
Dr. Gilmartin’s patriotism, generosity and passion for his work set him apart from virtually all others, and provide an example for us all going forward in heritage and the arts.
Ar dheis Dé do raibh a anam.
