Strickland LOWRY (1737 –c.1785)

Aeneas Caring his Father from Troy

Oil on canvas

23 ¾ x 17 ¾ inches;
33 x 27 inches, inc. frame

Strickland Lowry was a portrait painter who came from Cumberland, and worked in Ireland. He came to Belfast around 1762. He contributed thirteen engraved views of churches, which appeared in History and Antiquities of Shrewsbury (1779). He was patronised by Sir John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira.

Aeneas is the son of Venus and one of the greatest heroes of Troy, second only to Prince Hector himself. During the destruction of Troy by the Greeks, he was able to escape with his little son with the help of his mother, the goddess of love. He was able to escape together with many other Trojans and sailed away with them in order to find a new homeland.