Jack Butler Yeats, R.H.A.

Mrs Bernard Shaw (purchased at the Alpine Club Gallery exhibition, 1929)
Acquired by Alice Bernrard (née McKay), Dublin, thence by descent to the present owner

London, Alpine Club Gallery, Paintings, 6 - 23 February 1929, no.7

Hilary Pyle, Jack Butler Yeats, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Vol. I., Andre Deutsch, London, 1992, no.385, p.352 (incorrectly illustrated)

The panel appears to be sound. Some minor frame abrasions to extreme edges; otherwise the work appears in good overall condition with passages of impasto. Under ultraviolet light there appear to be no signs of retouching. Held in a gilt plaster frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

As Hilary Pyle notes, 'Yeats had always taken an interest in states of the tide on the western coast of Ireland, so it is not surprising that he painted the Dodder (which flows through Clonskea, not far from where he was living in Marlborough Road, Donnybrook) when it was flooding' (op. cit., p.352). Other examples include A Yellow Flood, Clonskea (1920), Clonskea and Clonskea Falls (1923).

We are grateful to Hilary Pyle for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.