Treasures: Jack B. Yeats’ Eagle sketch has landed at auction for the first time

In November 2021, Yeats’ Scream (1950) sold at Whyte’s for €1.4m. A large oil painting of three colorful characters frolicking on an empty moor, it is spectacular, joyous and existentially profound. Other works in oil are consistently sold for the kind of money that would have bought a house until recently.

Owning a painting by Jack B. Yeats brings prestige to the wealthy, but his work is also widely loved. His oil paintings are relatively rare and always expensive, but Yeats was a freelance artist with a long career and all of his work is of some interest. At the lower end of the price range, expect to pay between €200 and €500 for a hand-colored print at auction, or around €1,000 for an original drawing.

Yeats had his finger on the pulse of Irish culture and the resonance continues, even today when the world he portrays has changed beyond recognition.

Sometimes the auction process uncovers a gem. Jack B Yeats’ The lawnmower’s donkey is a pen and ink drawing commissioned for Patricia Lynch’s 1934 fantasy novel of the same name. It is currently being sold at Morgan O’Driscoll’s Irish Art Online Auction, which ends (Monday) January 30th (Lot 15: approx. €15,000-€25,000).

“The drawing depicts the moment when Seamus and his sister Eileen, returning home from the carnival, see their cabin in the distance. Night has fallen and Eileen is half asleep, but her long-eared donkey has brought her home safely with the help of the goblin. On the back of the float is a clove stone walking stick that Eileen won at the county fair and food that the leprechaun magically provided for her,” writes art historian Peter Murray.

The illustration forms the cover of the novel, with the caption, “There were the lights of home shining through the darkness.” In typical Yeats fashion, the drawing is keenly observed and captures much in its simplicity.

“It’s pure magic,” says Morgan O’Driscoll, pointing out that the illustration has never been sold at auction before.

The lawnmower’s donkey is one of three illustrations from the same novel on offer, all from a single Irish collection. Look at them Showdown at Red Rock (Lot 58: estimated €8,000-12,000) shows Seamus running down the mountain hand in hand with a goblin.

Written at a time before goblins became kitsch, this is a tricky character. Spoiler alert, Seamus lets go of his hand at a crucial moment and the goblin escapes. The third figure How did you get there? he asked in astonishment (Lot 10: estimated €5,000 to €7,000) shows Seamus in front of Mrs. Murphy’s shop talking to a golden eagle. Seamus carries a packet of birdseed. The eagle looks hungry. In the book, the eagle is in search of the Wise Woman of Youghal. The story continues in a startling romp of myth and fantasy.

It is now considered the forerunner of contemporary Irish fantasy literature. Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series, has acknowledged the influence of Patricia Lynch in general and The Lawnmower’s Donkey in special.

“The novel is largely forgotten, but it shouldn’t be,” says Morgan O’Driscoll. There is one copy of the book on sale (Lot 80: estimated €100-200) which shows Yeats’s illustrations – five in color and eight in black and white – in the context for which they were intended. fantastic as it is The lawnmower’s donkey captures elements of rural Ireland that have all but disappeared from Irish life. The donkey and cart is one of them.

Once a staple of rural farming, the offspring of donkeys pulling peat carts are now in the donkey sanctuary, and with good reason. Donkeys were never really suited to the Irish climate (they are not waterproof) and many of them have been cruelly neglected. The donkey in the story was a magical creature and was treated as a valued member of the family.

See morganodriscoll.com