Jack Butler Yeats' Early Away among top lots in British and Irish sale

Jack Butler Yeats' Early Away is estimated to make £40,000-60,000 ($68,560-102,840) in Christie's auction of British and Irish art in London on July 16.

JBR cat
Jack Butler Yeats was the brother of celebrated poet WB Yeats

It was described by Hilary Pyle in his catalogue of Yeats' oil paintings thus: "A man in the early morning assumes a theatrical appearance as he is lit by two lights: the cold light of the dawn at his back, and a warm beam from the open kitchen door lighting his face and his side.

"The whole painting is sketched finely in indigo on a stained ground, with a concentration of impasto in the foreground emphasizing the man, and the cat, who is the centre of the painting".

Yeats (1871-1957) was the brother of the celebrated poet WB Yeats and moved in similar circles. He was close friends with the playwright Samuel Beckett and wrote a series of novels and poems in addition to his work as an artist.

In 2011, his A Fair Day, Mayo made $1.3m - setting a new world record for an artwork sold in Ireland.

William Scott's Blue Still Life (1958) carries an identical estimate of £40,000-60,000 ($68,560-102,840).

His auction record stands at £1m ($1.7m), set for Bowl, Eggs and Lemons in 2008.

We have a range of art and photography memorabilia available, click here to take a look.

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