WHYTE'S IRISH & INTERNATIONAL ART 2 December 2019

IRISH & INTERNATIONAL ART ·2 DECEMBER 2019 AT 6PM 33 19 John Butler Yeats RHA (1839-1922) GENTLEMAN READING watercolour 4.50 by 7.50in. (11.4 by 19.1cm) Provenance: Family of the artist; Fonsie Mealy Chatsworth Sale, The Yeats Collection, 14 November 2017, ex lot 616; Private collection Possibly a portrait of Major Robert Gregory (1881-1918), only son of Yeats’ long-time patron, Lady Grego- ry of Coole Park, Gort, Co Galway. He died when his Royal Flying Corps aircraft crashed on the Italian front on 23 January 1918. His premature death, aged 37, had a lasting effect on W. B. Yeats, and he became the subject of four poems by him; including An Irish Airman Foresees his Death. An Irish Airman Foresees His Death W. B. Yeats - 1865-1939 I know that I shall meet my fate Somewhere among the clouds above; Those that I fight I do not hate Those that I guard I do not love; My country is Kiltartan Cross, My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor, No likely end could bring them loss Or leave them happier than before. Nor law, nor duty bade me fight, Nor public man, nor cheering crowds, A lonely impulse of delight Drove to this tumult in the clouds; I balanced all, brought all to mind, The years to come seemed waste of breath, A waste of breath the years behind In balance with this life, this death. €1,000-€1,500 (£860-£1,290 approx.) Click Here for Large Images & To Bid Lot 19