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Jack Butler Yeats
KERRY FISHERMAN - FENIT LIGHTHOUSE (1927)
Lot 12
Price Realised:
€100,000
Estimate:
€100,000 - €150,000
Jack Butler Yeats RHA, Irish, 1871-1957
FENIT LIGHTHOUSE, CO KERRY - KERRY FISHERMAN (1927)
Oil on panel, 9" x 14" (22.8 x 35.6cm), signed.
Fenit Lighthouse in Kerry was built on Samphire Island in the 1850s. A view towards Dingle is in the ba... Read more
Lot 12
Jack Butler Yeats
KERRY FISHERMAN - FENIT LIGHTHOUSE (1927)
FENIT LIGHTHOUSE, CO KERRY - KERRY FISHERMAN (1927)
Oil on panel, 9" x 14" (22.8 x 35.6cm), signed.
Fenit Lighthouse in Kerry was built on Samphire Island in the 1850s. A view towards Dingle is in the ba... Read more
Lot 12
Jack Butler Yeats
KERRY FISHERMAN - FENIT LIGHTHOUSE (1927)
Estimate:
€100,000 - €150,000
Jack Butler Yeats RHA, Irish, 1871-1957
FENIT LIGHTHOUSE, CO KERRY - KERRY FISHERMAN (1927)
Oil on panel, 9" x 14" (22.8 x 35.6cm), signed.
Fenit Lighthouse in Kerry was built on Samphire Island in the 1850s. A view towards Dingle is in the background.
We are grateful to Professor Mary McAuliffe of U.C.D for assistance in cataloguing this work.
Provenance: Purchased from the artist by Herr E. Hempel, 1940; Purchased by I.M. Esses, Toronto in the 1960's and by descent; Sothebys, September 2020, lot 36 (catalogue note below).
Literature: Hilary Pyle, Jack B Yeats, A Catalogue Raisonne of the Oil Paintings, Andre Deutsch, 1992, Vol.1, no. 339, p.308.
Exhibited: Dublin, Engineers Hall, Paintings, 25 February - 5 Marc 1927, no. 22; Birmingham, Ruskin Gallery, Paintings of Ireland, 23 May - 4 June 1927, no. 16; London Tooth, Paintings, 14 March - 5 April 1928, no. 33.
The present work depicts a local fisherman whose strong features and confident stance offer a heroic figure, typical of Yeats' depiction of sea-faring men. Staring to the distance and wrapped in a heavy overcoat, he fills the composition while behind him is the coast of Kerry, the waters of which he would know intimately through years on the sea. Immediately below him boats are moored with a fellow fisherman attending them - the flash of silvery blues suggesting they are unloading their catch.
Since his childhood growing up among the quays of Sligo, Yeats developed a wonder and admiration for seafaring figures - in line with his lifelong occupation with distinct characters on the fringes of society who populate many of his works. The present painting dates to the late 1920s. Yeats had painted Kerry before, but these earlier works focus solely on the coastline and are devoid of figures, such as Kerry Landscape (private collection, sold Adam's, Dublin, 28 September 2016, lot 10). By the 1920s, local figures, often solitary, appear in Yeats' oils.
The present work is a characteristic example and executed when Yeats' style remained relatively realist with the figures delineated, giving them an emphatic presence. However, by the end of the decade his brushwork was loosening, forms were dissolving and colour was more freely applied. We see the onset of such developments in the present work which has a fluid, painterly surface anticipating the unique style of Yeats' later work. By that stage, the sea and sea-faring figures persist but in a more abstract way, and the sea itself often serves a metaphysical purpose.
FENIT LIGHTHOUSE, CO KERRY - KERRY FISHERMAN (1927)
Oil on panel, 9" x 14" (22.8 x 35.6cm), signed.
Fenit Lighthouse in Kerry was built on Samphire Island in the 1850s. A view towards Dingle is in the background.
We are grateful to Professor Mary McAuliffe of U.C.D for assistance in cataloguing this work.
Provenance: Purchased from the artist by Herr E. Hempel, 1940; Purchased by I.M. Esses, Toronto in the 1960's and by descent; Sothebys, September 2020, lot 36 (catalogue note below).
Literature: Hilary Pyle, Jack B Yeats, A Catalogue Raisonne of the Oil Paintings, Andre Deutsch, 1992, Vol.1, no. 339, p.308.
Exhibited: Dublin, Engineers Hall, Paintings, 25 February - 5 Marc 1927, no. 22; Birmingham, Ruskin Gallery, Paintings of Ireland, 23 May - 4 June 1927, no. 16; London Tooth, Paintings, 14 March - 5 April 1928, no. 33.
The present work depicts a local fisherman whose strong features and confident stance offer a heroic figure, typical of Yeats' depiction of sea-faring men. Staring to the distance and wrapped in a heavy overcoat, he fills the composition while behind him is the coast of Kerry, the waters of which he would know intimately through years on the sea. Immediately below him boats are moored with a fellow fisherman attending them - the flash of silvery blues suggesting they are unloading their catch.
Since his childhood growing up among the quays of Sligo, Yeats developed a wonder and admiration for seafaring figures - in line with his lifelong occupation with distinct characters on the fringes of society who populate many of his works. The present painting dates to the late 1920s. Yeats had painted Kerry before, but these earlier works focus solely on the coastline and are devoid of figures, such as Kerry Landscape (private collection, sold Adam's, Dublin, 28 September 2016, lot 10). By the 1920s, local figures, often solitary, appear in Yeats' oils.
The present work is a characteristic example and executed when Yeats' style remained relatively realist with the figures delineated, giving them an emphatic presence. However, by the end of the decade his brushwork was loosening, forms were dissolving and colour was more freely applied. We see the onset of such developments in the present work which has a fluid, painterly surface anticipating the unique style of Yeats' later work. By that stage, the sea and sea-faring figures persist but in a more abstract way, and the sea itself often serves a metaphysical purpose.
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In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
PLEASE BID EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.
In order to allow rival bidders the opportunity to respond to a late bid the following extensions will apply:
IF A BID IS RECEIVED WITHIN THE FINAL 45 SECONDS OF THE COUNTDOWN THE CLOCK WILL RESET TO 60 SECONDS.
At any point you can leave a maximum bid, representing the highest price you are prepared to pay for a particular lot. Bidding only advances when there is competition from a rival bidder. In that case the system bids on your behalf, only up to the maximum if required. All bids are relayed to you be email, along with notification if you have been outbid.
All maximum bids are confidential and not disclosed. The system will endeavor to purchase the lot for you for the least price. Bids are subject to buyer’s premium of 25% (incl vat), with no additional charges.
In the event of a tied bid, the preference will be given to the bid submitted first. The second bidder will receive immediate notification of being outbid.
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