Frederic William Burton

Read the full story: his life, the places he painted, and a collector's guide. Explore the Frederic William Burton guide →

One painting made him immortal. The rest of his work is just as extraordinary.

Frederic William Burton (1816–1900) painted The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, voted Ireland's favourite painting in 2012 and shown at the National Gallery of Ireland for only two hours a week. Born into a Co. Clare family and left with a disabled right arm by a childhood injury, he worked left-handed, in watercolour and gouache — no oils by him are known. He recorded the west of Ireland with George Petrie, then ran the National Gallery in London for twenty years and never painted again.

Browse the full collection of Frederic William Burton art prints — the Turret Stairs, the Irish landscape drawings and the romantic subject pictures — on archival 250gsm matte paper, framed or unframed, with free worldwide shipping.

Read the story: the painting itself → · the life behind it →

Hanging them as a set

A childhood injury left Burton’s right arm permanently disabled, and he could not tolerate the smell of oil paint — which is why the best-loved Irish picture of the nineteenth century is a watercolour on paper. The Meeting on the Turret Stairs hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland and is shown two hours a week, in a light-protective cabinet, to a queue. The rest here is the same hand and the same medium: the Kerry and Howth drawings, the Galway piper, the portrait heads. Burton stopped painting altogether in 1874 when he was made Director of the National Gallery in London, and never started again.

Part of our full Irish Art Prints collection — over 600 works by Ireland's greatest artists.

Questions about Frederic William Burton prints

Who was Frederic William Burton?
Frederic William Burton (1816–1900) was born into a Co. Clare family. A childhood injury left his right arm disabled, so he worked left-handed, in watercolour and gouache, and no oils by him are known. He drew the west of Ireland with George Petrie, then ran the National Gallery in London for twenty years and never painted again.

What is his most famous painting?
The Meeting on the Turret Stairs, voted Ireland's favourite painting in 2012. The original hangs in the National Gallery of Ireland as NGI.2358 and, because gouache fades, is shown for only two hours a week. The print is the most popular in the collection.

What else is in the collection?
Besides the Turret Stairs, the collection includes his Irish landscape drawings and romantic subject pictures, all made to order on archival matte paper with pigment inks.

What sizes, frames and prices are there?
Each product page has a size and frame selector with exact prices. Unframed prints across the shop start at €55 and framed prints at €120, with canvas from €79; framing is offered at selected sizes only. Every size and price is listed on the print prices, sizes and framing page.

How long does delivery take, and what if it arrives damaged?
Shipping is free worldwide. Every print is made to order and dispatched within 2–5 business days, then delivered in 3–7 business days to Ireland, 4–8 to the UK, 5–10 to the USA, 6–12 to Canada and 7–14 to Australia. If a print arrives damaged or defective, email info@buyirishart.com within 14 days of delivery with a photo and we will replace it or refund you in full. We cannot accept returns for a change of mind, because every print is made to order. See Shipping & Delivery.

Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Irish Artist Frederic William Burton Art Print