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Rowan Gillespie (b.1953)
MAQUETTE FOR W.B. YEATS, SLIGO, 1989
bronze; (no. 1 from edition of 9)
signed, titled, numbered and dated on edge of base
25 x 9_ x 7in. (63_ x 24.13 x 17
Dimensions of base 1 by 11.5 by 11.5in.This is a maquette for the sculpture of W.B. Yeats erected outside Ulster Bank on
Stephen Street, Sligo, in May 1990. The sculpture was jointly commissioned by the Adhoc Yeats Sculpture Committee,
Ulster Bank and the local community.The erection of the bronze marked the 50th anniversary of the poet’s death.
Although Yeats was born in Dublin, the family moved to Sligo and it is said he considered the West of Ireland to be his
spiritual home. The location on Stephen Street is of particular significance because upon acceptance of his Nobel Prize
in Sweden in 1924, he commented on how the 17th Century Royal Palace of Stockholm reminded him architecturally of
the Ulster Bank building in Sligo. The finished piece was unveiled by Senator Michael Yeats, the poet’s son. The eight-
foot tall statue combines a realistic portrait of the internationally acclaimed poet with an abstract body. It is imprinted
in positive relief with cuts” from more than 150 of his poems. Gillespie used the ‘lost wax’ technique which has become
synonymous with his oeuvre. The cobblestone plinth on which the sculpture is mounted was made from stones
handpicked on the Sligo quays.”
€8,000-€10,000 (£5880-£7350 approx. approx.)
Large Image & Place Bid Lot 103IRISH & INTERNATIONAL ART · 28 SEPTEMBER 2015