Lot 22
JUSTICE, 1946
Jack Butler Yeats RHA (1871-1957)
Showing Lot 22 of 211
Lot 21 - AT THE FÉIS
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Lot 23 - STAINED GLASS DOOR PANEL, 1938
Estimate:
€100,000 - €150,000
Price Realised:
€150,000
Signature:
signed lower right
Medium:
oil on canvas
Size:
14 x 18in. (35.56 x 45.72cm)
Provenance:
With Victor Waddington Galleries, November 1946;
Mrs John Patton, Montreal;
Thence by family descent
Mrs John Patton, Montreal;
Thence by family descent
Exhibited:
'Paintings', Waddington Galleries, Montreal, 24 October to 11 November 1961, catalogue no. 30 (reproduced)
Literature:
Pyle, H., Jack Butler Yeats in the National Gallery of Ireland, NGI, Dublin, 1986, p. 26-27;
Pyle, H., Jack B. Yeats: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Andre Deutsch, London, 1992, Vol. II, catalogue no. 791
Pyle, H., Jack B. Yeats: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Andre Deutsch, London, 1992, Vol. II, catalogue no. 791
A woman dusts the judge's bench in an empty court room. Light floods in from the large window to the left. The cold grey blue tones of the walls contrast with the warm impasto of orange red that dominate the foreground of the painting. In the former ...Read more
A woman dusts the judge's bench in an empty court room. Light floods in from the large window to the left. The cold grey blue tones of the walls contrast with the warm impasto of orange red that dominate the foreground of the painting. In the former parts of the canvas are left untouched, while the latter are formed out of thick, highly textured pigment. This suggests the reflected sunlight on the grand furnishings of the room. An imposing red canopy surrounds the judge's chair, symbolising the authority of the court. Two tall lamps furnish the bench, making the setting appear highly theatrical, even funereal. In front, the barristers' bench with metal railings can be deciphered.
The courtroom in Justice is much grander than that represented in Yeats's pen, ink and watercolour painting, The Poteen Makers (1912, NGI), which shows a more modest rural courthouse. In this early work two plaintiffs stand in front of an enormous official desk presided over by two impassive magistrates. Surrounded by onlookers and guarded by policemen, the court with its official notices, ink stands and sheaves of paper, appears officious and comical.
Yeats's fascination with court houses came from his awareness of their central, if controversial, position in Irish life. Yeats's favourite dramatist, Dion Boucicault and the novels of Somerville and Ross often used the troubled relationship between the Irish citizen and the colonial formality of the court to dramatic and comic effect. In 1899 Yeats sketched a man sitting in front of the incongruous classical façade of the halls of justice in Ennis, contrasting the ordinary citizen with the might and pomp of the law. In 1901 he sketched Galway's court house paying close attention to the prominent coat of arms on its pediment. His interest in the affairs of the courtroom must also have been sparked by his father's memories of his time as a barrister in Dublin. John Butler Yeats was more absorbed in sketching the various protagonists than in legal discussion and he abandoned the bar to become a professional artist. Jack also sketched court proceedings showing bewigged barristers posturing in court.
As in many of Yeats's late paintings, the forms in Justice are difficult to distinguish precisely. Their elusiveness asserts the idea that this is first and foremost a painting, a two- dimensional artificially produced entity that attempts to reconstruct three-dimensional space from memory and from sensory perception. Secondly its ambiguity subtly challenges the apparent logic of the courtroom and its dealings. The woman who is leaning over the desk is the only figure in the space. Her central role in the painting is emphasised by the intense daylight which illuminates her form. She extends her arm towards a large pink and blue cloth, as if laying evidence before the absent judge. Normally when the court is in sitting, no one would be permitted to approach the bench and the figure's intimate engagement with it is typical of Yeats's subversive take on such elitist formalities. He used a similar device in another painting of 1946, On the Court House Steps, which shows a vagrant reposing on the steps of Naas court house.
Dr. Róisín Kennedy
Hilary Pyle, Jack B. Yeats in the National Gallery of Ireland, (NGI, 1986), pp.26-27.
Sketchbook 216 illustrated in Hilary Pyle, Jack B. Yeats. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, 1992, II, p. 722.
Hilary Pyle, Jack B. Yeats. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, 1992, II, p.672.
The courtroom in Justice is much grander than that represented in Yeats's pen, ink and watercolour painting, The Poteen Makers (1912, NGI), which shows a more modest rural courthouse. In this early work two plaintiffs stand in front of an enormous official desk presided over by two impassive magistrates. Surrounded by onlookers and guarded by policemen, the court with its official notices, ink stands and sheaves of paper, appears officious and comical.
Yeats's fascination with court houses came from his awareness of their central, if controversial, position in Irish life. Yeats's favourite dramatist, Dion Boucicault and the novels of Somerville and Ross often used the troubled relationship between the Irish citizen and the colonial formality of the court to dramatic and comic effect. In 1899 Yeats sketched a man sitting in front of the incongruous classical façade of the halls of justice in Ennis, contrasting the ordinary citizen with the might and pomp of the law. In 1901 he sketched Galway's court house paying close attention to the prominent coat of arms on its pediment. His interest in the affairs of the courtroom must also have been sparked by his father's memories of his time as a barrister in Dublin. John Butler Yeats was more absorbed in sketching the various protagonists than in legal discussion and he abandoned the bar to become a professional artist. Jack also sketched court proceedings showing bewigged barristers posturing in court.
As in many of Yeats's late paintings, the forms in Justice are difficult to distinguish precisely. Their elusiveness asserts the idea that this is first and foremost a painting, a two- dimensional artificially produced entity that attempts to reconstruct three-dimensional space from memory and from sensory perception. Secondly its ambiguity subtly challenges the apparent logic of the courtroom and its dealings. The woman who is leaning over the desk is the only figure in the space. Her central role in the painting is emphasised by the intense daylight which illuminates her form. She extends her arm towards a large pink and blue cloth, as if laying evidence before the absent judge. Normally when the court is in sitting, no one would be permitted to approach the bench and the figure's intimate engagement with it is typical of Yeats's subversive take on such elitist formalities. He used a similar device in another painting of 1946, On the Court House Steps, which shows a vagrant reposing on the steps of Naas court house.
Dr. Róisín Kennedy
Hilary Pyle, Jack B. Yeats in the National Gallery of Ireland, (NGI, 1986), pp.26-27.
Sketchbook 216 illustrated in Hilary Pyle, Jack B. Yeats. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, 1992, II, p. 722.
Hilary Pyle, Jack B. Yeats. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, 1992, II, p.672.
- Auction Details
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Following on from the successes of 2018, the best results since 2007 - where selling rates exceeded 80% in the majority of the art sales and some record prices were achieved - Whyte’s spring auction of Irish & International art promises to deliver another exciting opportunity for collectors to acquire rare artworks of enduring value. Some of the highlights already consigned include a beautiful oil by Margaret Clarke (illustrated), a rare and exquisitely designed piece of stained-glass from the workshop of the Master in the medium, Harry Clarke, a 1950s oil by Norah McGuinness and a sizeable oil by Jack B. Yeats. Among the other names also secured are Camille Souter, Evie Hone, Seán Keating, Roderic O’Conor, Gerard Dillon, Louis le Brocquy, Kenneth Webb and many others.
Catalogue will be published on our website on 8 February.
Catalogue will be published on our website on 8 February.
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(g) Any lot listed as a "collection, range, portfolio etc." or stated to comprise or contain a collection or range of items which are not described shall be put up for sale not subject to rejection and shall be taken by the purchaser with all (if any) faults, lack of genuineness and errors of description and numbers of items in the lot, and the purchaser shall have no right to reject the lot; except that, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this sub-clause, where before a sale a person intending to bid at the sale gives notice in writing to, and satisfies the auctioneer that any such lot contains any item or items undescribed in the sale catalogue and that person specifically describes that item or those items in that notice, then that item or those items shall, as between the auctioneer and that person, to be taken to form part of the description of the lot. Clause 6 The respective rights and obligations of the parties shall be governed and interpreted by Irish law, and the buyer hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish Courts.
Special Conditions
a) The buyer shall pay the Auctioneer a commission at the rate of 20% of the purchase price (which excludes VAT at the prevailing rate under The Margin Scheme and which is not reclaimable). There is no extra charge to on-line buyers on Whyte’s platform – bid.whytes.ie. However bidders on other platforms shall pay an extra commission of 3% to 5% (plus VAT) to cover the charge made by the on-line bidding provider.
(b) The Auctioneer or its employees, servants or agents may, on request organise packing and shipping of lots purchased or may order on the buyer's behalf third parties to pack or ship purchases. Under no circumstances does the Auctioneer accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage howsoever occasioned in the course of such service.
(c) The buyer authorises the Auctioneer to use any photographs or illustrations of any lot purchased for any or all purposes as the Auctioneer may require. The placing of a bid will be taken as full agreement to all the above conditions.
WHYTE AND SONS AUCTIONEERS LIMITED, 2018.
Clause 1
(a) Each lot is put up subject to any reserve price imposed by the vendor
(b) Subject to sub-clause (a) of this clause, the highest bidder for each lot shall be the purchaser thereof
(c) If any dispute arises as to the highest bidder the auctioneer shall have absolute discretion to determine the dispute and may put up again and re-sell the lot in respect of which the dispute arises.
Clause 2
(a) The bidding and advances shall be regulated by and at the absolute discretion of the auctioneer and he shall have the right to refuse any bid or bids. NOTE: Where an agent bids, even on behalf of a disclosed client, the auctioneer nevertheless has the right at his discretion to refuse any such bid.
(b) The purchaser of each lot shall immediately on its sale, if required by the auctioneer, give him the name and address of the purchaser and pay to the auctioneer at his discretion the whole or part of the purchase money. If the purchaser of any lot fails to comply with any such requirement the auctioneer may put up again and re-sell the lot; if upon such re-sale a lower price is obtained than was obtained on the first sale the purchaser in default on the first sale shall make good the difference in price and expenses of re-sale which shall become a debt due from him.
(c) Where an agent purchases on behalf of an undisclosed client such agent shall be personally liable for payment of the purchase money to the auctioneer and for safe delivery of the lot to the said client.
Clause 3
(a) The auctioneer reserves the rights to bid on behalf of clients including vendors, but shall not be liable for errors or omissions in executing instructions to bid.
(b) The auctioneer reserves the rights, before or during a sale, to group together lots belonging to the same vendor, to split up and to withdraw any lot or lots at the auctioneer's absolute discretion and without giving any reason in any case.
(c) The auctioneer acts as agent only, and therefore shall not be liable for any default of the purchaser or vendor.
Clause 4
(a) Each lot shall be at the purchaser's risk from the fall of the hammer and shall be paid for in full before delivery and taken away at his expense within one day of the sale. The buyer will be responsible for all removal, storage and insurance charges in respect of any lot which has not been collected within one day of the date of sale. (b) If any purchaser fails to pay in full for any lot within 21 days of the date of sale such lot may at any time thereafter at the auctioneer's discretion be put up for sale by auction again or sold privately; if upon such re-sale a lower price is obtained than was obtained on the first sale the purchaser in default on the first sale shall make good the difference in price and the expenses of re-sale which shall become debt due from him. (c) Interest at 2 per cent per month and legal costs (if any) for recovery of monies due shall be payable by the purchaser on any overdue account.
Clause 5
(a) All lots are made available for inspection before each sale and each buyer, by making a bid, acknowledges that he has satisfied himself as to the physical condition, age and catalogue description of each lot (including but not restricted to whether the lot is damaged or has been repaired or restored).
(b) All lots are sold with all faults and imperfections and errors of description and the Auctioneer and its employees, servants or agents shall not be responsible for any error of description or for the condition or authenticity of any lot, save for Clause 5 (c) below. Written or verbal condition reports may be supplied by the Auctioneer on request but these are merely statements of opinion, and any error or omission in these reports may not be taken as grounds for a cancellation of sale or refund of any part of the purchase price or the cost of any repairs to the lot or lots reported on
(c) A purchaser shall be at liberty to reject any lot if he - (i) gives the auctioneer written notice of intention to question the genuineness of the lot within seven days from the date of sale; AND (ii) proves that the lot is a deliberate forgery and (iii) returns to the auctioneer within 20 days from the date of sale the lot in the same condition as it was at the time of sale; provided that the auctioneer may, at his discretion, on receiving a request in writing from the purchaser, extend for a reasonable period the time for return of the lot to enable it to be submitted to expertisation. NOTE: The onus of proving a lot to be a deliberate forgery is on the purchaser.
(d) Where a lot has been submitted to expertisation, all costs of such expertisation shall be paid by the person who retains the certificate of expertisation and item or items to which the certificate relates.
(e) Where the purchaser of a lot discharges the onus and acts in accordance with sub-clause (b) of this clause, the auctioneer shall rescind the sale and repay to the purchaser the purchase money paid by him in respect of the lot.
(f) No lot shall be rejected if, subsequent to the sale, it has been marked by an expert committee or treated by any other process unless the auctioneer's permission to subject the lot to such treatment has first been obtained in writing.
(g) Any lot listed as a "collection, range, portfolio etc." or stated to comprise or contain a collection or range of items which are not described shall be put up for sale not subject to rejection and shall be taken by the purchaser with all (if any) faults, lack of genuineness and errors of description and numbers of items in the lot, and the purchaser shall have no right to reject the lot; except that, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this sub-clause, where before a sale a person intending to bid at the sale gives notice in writing to, and satisfies the auctioneer that any such lot contains any item or items undescribed in the sale catalogue and that person specifically describes that item or those items in that notice, then that item or those items shall, as between the auctioneer and that person, to be taken to form part of the description of the lot. Clause 6 The respective rights and obligations of the parties shall be governed and interpreted by Irish law, and the buyer hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Irish Courts.
Special Conditions
a) The buyer shall pay the Auctioneer a commission at the rate of 20% of the purchase price (which excludes VAT at the prevailing rate under The Margin Scheme and which is not reclaimable). There is no extra charge to on-line buyers on Whyte’s platform – bid.whytes.ie. However bidders on other platforms shall pay an extra commission of 3% to 5% (plus VAT) to cover the charge made by the on-line bidding provider.
(b) The Auctioneer or its employees, servants or agents may, on request organise packing and shipping of lots purchased or may order on the buyer's behalf third parties to pack or ship purchases. Under no circumstances does the Auctioneer accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage howsoever occasioned in the course of such service.
(c) The buyer authorises the Auctioneer to use any photographs or illustrations of any lot purchased for any or all purposes as the Auctioneer may require. The placing of a bid will be taken as full agreement to all the above conditions.
WHYTE AND SONS AUCTIONEERS LIMITED, 2018.
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