The Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton: Ireland's Favourite Painting (1864)
A knight's helmet dangles loose in one hand. His armor presses against a woman's vivid blue dress as they meet -- for the last time, though neither says so -- on a narrow stone stairwell. She holds him with both arms; his sword stays sheathed at his side, and he is already half-turned toward whatever is waiting below. Frederic William Burton's The Meeting on the Turret Stairs (1864) is only a watercolour, barely larger than a cafe tabletop, and yet the National Gallery of Ireland has had to build a queuing system around it. Quick facts Artist: Frederic William Burton (1816-1900) Date: 1864 Medium: Watercolour and gouache on paper, 95.5 x 60.8 cm Collection: National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin Notable fact: Voted Ireland's favourite painting in a 2012 public poll; now shown only two hours a week to protect its pigments from light damage Frederic William Burton, Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs, 1864. Watercolour and gouache on paper. Nationa...