Epic Battle of Waterloo drawing by Cork artist goes on display in London

A magnificently conserved drawing of the Battle of Waterloo by Cork born artist Daniel Maclise (1809-1870) has just gone on display at the Royal Academy in London. The critically acclaimed cartoon — The Meeting of Wellington and Blucher after the Battle of Waterloo — is more than 13m wide and 3m high.

The term cartoon from the Italian ‘cartone’ means a large sheet of paper, usually a full-size preparatory drawing. This one served for a famous painting in the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords. Conservation of one of the largest and most detailed cartoons to survive in the UK was carried out at the Royal Academy.