Eight 17th century Italian paintings have been donated to the National Gallery in Dublin by Sir Denis Mahon. Raymond Keavney, Director of the National Gallery has welcomed the donation saying that, coupled with the National Gallery's existing stock, the donations will form part of "a world class collection of 17th century Italian art".
The paintings are part of a bequest by the art collector and connoisseur Sir Denis Mahon. He had considered donating the works to a British gallery but changed his mind because it would have charged a visitors' fee. As a result of the bequest, the National Gallery is now home to a multi-million-pound collection of Italian Baroque masterpieces.
