AH10070 Dublin: Its Museums and Collections Essay 2026: Comparing Artworks in Dublin Galleries (UCD) Module AH10070 Dublin: Its Museums and Collections Institution University College Dublin, School of Art History and Cultural Policy Term Autumn 2026 (Semester One) Task Comparative mid-term essay, 50% of the module Deadline 2 November 2026, 12 noon AH10070 is UCD’s introductory art history elective built around the collections of the National Gallery of Ireland, the National Museum and Trinity College Dublin. For the mid-term essay you visit two works in person, pick one of the four set pairings below and write a focused compare-and-contrast argument with footnotes and a bibliography.
Essay Question Students are asked to visit two works of art on view in Dublin, and then choose ONE of the options below:
Compare and contrast the illustrations in The Book of Kells and Bartolomeo Passarotti’s St Jerome. Compare and contrast Francesco Granacci’s Rest on the Flight into Egypt with the Infant Saint John the Baptist with Caravaggio’s The Taking of Christ. Compare and contrast Tintoretto’s Portrait of an Unknown Senator and Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Charles Coote. Compare and contrast Johannes Vermeer’s Woman Writing a Letter and Claude Monet’s Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat. Essay Requirements A strong thesis in the opening paragraph, a developed argument in the main body, and a conclusion that brings the thesis together without new evidence. Concise, precise language; quotations kept to a minimum; all sources (including websites) correctly referenced. No general websites such as Wikipedia, Smarthistory or Khan Academy; use scholarly sources such as Oxford Art Online, JSTOR and the UCD Library art history guides. Plagiarism or AI use results in a failing grade. 1,500 to 2,000 words excluding footnotes and bibliography; one continuous piece with no subheadings or bullet points. Submitted as one PDF with the essay cover sheet via Brightspace, double-spaced, 12 pt, numbered pages. Footnotes and a full bibliography with at least three recommended texts; optional illustrations placed at the end and referenced.