Lafranchini brothers

The Lafranchini brothers, originally from Switzerland, are famed today for their work in rococo style stucco, chiefly in the great palladian houses of Ireland.

Paul Lafranchini (1695–1776) worked for James Gibbs in England. In 1736 he went to Ireland where he worked for the architect Richard Cassels. In 1739 he was joined in Ireland by his brother Philip (1702–1779). Together they worked on their masterpiece, the saloon at Carton House, Co. Kildare, designed by Cassels. Here they created an ornamental plaster-work ceiling depicting the Courtship of the Gods.

They worked on many major projects with Cassels, including Russborough and Tyrone House in Dublin. The decorative features they created, which included rosettes, swags, flora and fauna, decorated the ceilings and walls of many of Ireland's greatest 18th-century houses, giving these mansions the individualism which distinguishes them from other palladian revival houses in Europe.

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