RICHARD BULL (IRISH fl. 1777-1809) Portrait miniature of an unknown Gentleman, circa 1790, wearing a blue coat, yellow trimmed white waistcoat and frilled cravat Watercolour on ivory Gold brooch mounted frame with bright-cut edge Oval, 45 mm (1 3/4 in) high Exhibited: Comerford Collection at the Irish Architectural Archives, Dublin, 2009 Literature: The Comerford Collection: Portrait Miniatures, (privately published, Dublin, 2009) pp 8, 29 (# 91); Walter Strickland, A Dictionary of Irish Artists, 1913 Richard Bull was admitted to the Dublin Society's School in 1769, and studied there under Ennis. In 1777 he exhibited "Portraits in Hair" at the Society of Artists in William Street, and in 1780 "Miniatures in colour and hair". In 1786 he was "at Mr. Edward Rice`s, 13 Capel Street", where as we learn from an advertisement, he did "likenesses in miniature highly finished, at two guineas". He moved to 91 Grafton Street, in 1790, and in the following year was at 43 College Green. Soon afterwards, not finding sufficient patronage in Dublin, he went to London and began to exhibit in the Royal Academy in 1794, when he contributed "a portrait of Kemble" and six anonymous portraits. He was then living in Shepherd street, Oxford Street, but next year moved to 101 Pall Mall, where he remained until 1806. Many of his sitters in London were Irish. The long individual eyelashes prominent in this miniature are typical of those found on many miniatures by Bull.