John Butler Yeats

The sheet appears to be sound. Extended by the artist along the very left edge. Some small abrasions to the sheet in upper corners and lower left corner. A small area of paint loss to a thicker area of gouache on the right side of the basket and another to the right of the central figure's face. Held under glass in gold composite frame with canvas inset. Unexamined out of 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."

The present work was painted circa 1884, by which time the artist, struggling to make ends meet in London, had returned to Dublin with his family. The move was to be decisive in shaping the young W. B. Yeats' future, discovering the three interests that were to dominate his life: poetry, mysticism and Ireland. JBY had taken a studio at York Street, off St Stephen's Green, which quickly became a centre of art and philosophy in Dublin. It was from here that one morning he told the sixteen-year old Willy to walk down Harcourt Street and enroll at the Erasmus Smith High School, where he made a lasting impression: 'a white blackbird, a genius among the commonplace' as Katharine Tynan, a school friend, recollected (quoted in Murphy, The Prodigal Father, 1978, p.129). The present work depicts the bustling scene on Harcourt Street, and perhaps even an Erasmus student seen reading in the background.