The above oil painting by English artist Richard Livesay from the National Gallery of Ireland depicts James Caulfield, the first Earl of Charlemont, the bicentenary of whose death is being marked by a symposium next Saturday. The day-long event, Lord Charlemont and His Circle, has been organised by the UCD history of art department but takes place in the National Gallery's lecture hall. There are no less than 10 talks taking place during the course of a very full day, starting at 10 a.m., and these cover almost every aspects of Lord Charlemont's life and interests, as well as a number of his contemporaries. The cost of attendance for the day is £20 (students £10). For more information on the symposium, telephone Blathnait Crowley at UCD's department of the history of art, 017068162. Later this year, it is planned to publish the day's papers as a tribute to Dr Michael Wynne, retired curator of the National Gallery. Coinciding with next Saturday's symposium, a number of other events have been organised, including the appearance of a new biography, The Pleasing Hours: James Caulfield, 1st Earl of Charlemont - Traveller, Connoisseur and Patron of the Arts by Cynthia O'Connor. Published by the Collins Press, this will be on sale at £20.

In addition, the Royal Irish Academy, of which Lord Charlemont was the founding president, is holding an exhibition of manuscripts and works of art associated with him. A catalogue accompanying this show and edited by the academy's librarian, Siobhan O'Rafferty, will be available for £3.

The exhibition will run until the end of July and it is open to the public from 10.30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday (It is advisable to telephone the academy in advance to confirm admission).

And the National Gallery itself will be holding a series of three lectures on subjects relating to Lord Charlemont later this month. More discussion of the Earl of Charlemont and the Grand Tour will be published on this page next Saturday.