Bernard Mulrenin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bernard Mulrenin
Self-Portrait by Bernard Mulrenin
Born	1803 County Sligo, Ireland
Died	22 March 1868(1868-03-22) (aged 64–65) Great Brunswick Street, Dublin, Ireland
Resting place	St. Andrew's Church, Westland Row, Dublin
Nationality	Irish
Known for	Painting (miniature)
Spouse(s)	Mary Quill ​ (died 1844)​
Elected	Royal Hibernian Academy
Signature

Bernard Mulrenin (1803 – 22 March 1868) was an Irish painter. He was best known for his tiny, detailed miniature paintings.

He was part of the early Celtic Revival movement. This movement celebrated old Irish culture and art. Mulrenin was known for his leadership and for showing his art often at the Royal Hibernian Academy. He painted portraits of many important people. These included those involved in Irish Nationalism, which was a movement for Irish independence.

About Bernard Mulrenin

Mulrenin was born in County Sligo, Ireland. He learned how to draw and paint with help from his local community. He mostly focused on painting small portraits. To help make a living, Mulrenin also worked for the Ordnance Survey. This group was responsible for making detailed maps of Ireland.

In 1825, Mulrenin moved to Dublin. Within a year, he showed his paintings at the new Royal Hibernian Academy. An early friend and supporter in Dublin was the novelist Lady Morgan. She helped Mulrenin meet important people. These included politicians and other artists like Amelia Curran and Thomas Moore. In the 1830s, Mulrenin's painting business grew a lot. This happened after other famous miniature painters, John Comerford and Samuel Lover, were no longer working in Ireland.

Tribute medal to Constantine Phipps, 2nd Earl of Mulgrave, 1837. Designed by Mulrenin.

Mulrenin received a special appointment from the Earl of Clarendon in 1848. He also had his first art show at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1851. Even with this success, he stayed loyal to the RHA. He showed over 400 of his works there during his lifetime.

However, times became tough in the 1850s. Events like the Great Famine meant people had less money. This made it hard for the academy to sell art. The RHA faced money problems. In 1856, Michael Angelo Hayes became the secretary. He, along with the president and treasurer, wanted to make big changes. Mulrenin and his friend Mulvany did not agree with these changes. This led to disagreements within the academy. The school even closed for a short time the next year.

View of the Palace of Cloyne, from the south or garden front, lithograph

View of the College of Surgeons, Dublin, 1828, lithograph from a drawing by Mulrenin

In 1859, Mulrenin gave a speech to the Royal Dublin Society. He talked about how photography could help portrait painters. He believed photos could be a tool, not a replacement, for painting. He even said he found a way to put photo negatives onto marble and ivory. This would make them look like miniature paintings. In 1864, Mulrenin's portrait of Oscar Wilde's mother was shown at the RHA. He also helped in a legal case involving Oscar Wilde's mother.

Where to See His Art

You can find Bernard Mulrenin's works in several important art collections:

• National Gallery of Ireland
• National Library of Ireland
• National Portrait Gallery
• Victoria and Albert Museum
• British Museum
• Harry Ransom Center

Famous Portraits by Mulrenin

Works sorted alphabetically by surname

Portrait	Subject	Date	Medium(s)	Institution	Profession	Notes	Ref.
	George Ensor	c. 1820-1843	lithograph	National Library of Ireland	author
	John Hogan		charcoal	National Gallery of Ireland	sculptor	purchased: 1878
	Daniel O'Connell	1836	watercolour bodycolour	National Portrait Gallery	politician
	Charles O'Conor		watercolour	National Gallery of Ireland	historian
	Lord Paget		lithograph	National Gallery of Ireland	politician	presented: 1901; uncertain attribution
	George Petrie		oil	National Gallery of Ireland	antiquarian	presented: 1884
	Marie Taglioni	1834	lithograph watercolour	Victoria and Albert Museum	ballerina
	Jane Wilde	1864	watercolour	personal archives: Merlin Holland	poet

Other People He Painted

While Mulrenin mostly painted real people from his time, he also found ideas in stories. For example, he painted characters like Shakespeare's King Lear. He also painted figures from Irish mythology, such as Fionn-ghuala, who was the daughter of the sea god Lir.