RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963)

Title: Custom House Keystones - Variations (The Original Set of 14 - Liffey, Erne, Foyle, Slaney, Nore, Suir, Lagan, Lee, Shannon, Bann, Atlantic, Blackwater, Barrow and Boyne) Medium: Bronze Signature: Each Mask Signed Provenance: The Artist's Private Collection, Co. Mayo Custom House Keystones – Variations A complete set of fourteen patinated bronze masks, , cast after the original keystones carved by Edward Smyth (1749–1812) for the Custom House, Dublin, c. 1791. This exceptional series reimagines one of the great achievements of Irish neoclassical sculpture: the monumental keystones personifying the Atlantic and the principal rivers of Ireland – Bann, Barrow, Blackwater, Boyne, Erne, Foyle, Lagan, Lee, Liffey, Nore, Shannon, Slaney, and Suir. Smyth’s original carvings, designed under architect James Gandon, embodied the aspirations of an Irish Parliament-era Dublin. Each head is laden with symbolic attributes — maritime emblems, flora, fauna, and produce — evoking the geography, economy, and folklore of its river basin. Breslin’s Variations project captures these qualities with striking fidelity while revealing the energy, texture, and modelling of the originals through the medium of bronze. The Variations were conceived both as a celebration of Smyth’s artistry and as a demonstration of how these allegorical works remain resonant today. Working from extensive research, including archival photographs of Smyth’s lost wax maquettes (destroyed in 1916), Breslin modelled and cast each head using traditional lost-wax techniques, maintaining the sequence of the Custom House arrangement, beginning with the Liffey. The masks range in expression from the serene classical beauty of the Liffey to the stern force of the Barrow, the jovial Bann, and the undulating wave-born majesty of the Atlantic. each approx. 88 x 42 cm. SCULPTURE Tuesday 16th September 2025 19:30:50 Biography RORY BRESLIN (B. 1963) Rory Breslin is an Irish sculptor and bronze founder known for his figurative and commemorative work in both public and private collections. Trained in traditional modelling and casting, Breslin works from his own foundry, employing the lost-wax process to create sculpture distinguished by its meticulous detail and expressive surfaces. His oeuvre encompasses portraiture, historical subjects, and large-scale public commissions, often engaging with Irish history, literature, and myth. Breslin’s work is represented in civic spaces across Ireland and has been exhibited nationally and internationally. His Custom House Keystones – Variations series reflects his deep engagement with Ireland’s sculptural heritage, combining rigorous historical research with the technical mastery required to translate Edward Smyth’s 18th-century Portland stone carvings into enduring bronze.