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A man slumps on the steps of a court house, identified by Hilary Pyle as that of Naas, Co. Kildare.[i] A walking stick and bundle of belongings lie beside him. The figure’s casual appearance is in marked contrast to the classical formality of the building which is typical of the grand-style architecture of Irish court houses. These were designed to project a sense of authority on to the surrounding streets and their inhabitants, although this is not evident in Yeats’s picture. The strutting cockerel on the steps of the court house adds to the sense of the pastoral and maybe a humorous allusion to the vanity of the judiciary and the legal system. The bird is also symbolic of time, and especially dawn, an indication of the man’s long journey to the courthouse and his vagrant status.
Yeats had a long-standing fascination with courts and their goings on. His father, John Butler Yeats began his career as a barrister. This had ended abruptly when he became more interested in sketching the protagonists in court than in the delivery of his legal duties. Several of Jack Yeats’s sketchbooks contain images of rural trials and legal proceedings such as the1912 courtroom scene of The Poteen Makers, published in Yeats’s Life in the West of Ireland, 1912. In 1901 he sketched Galway’s court house paying close attention to the prominent coat of arms on its pediment.[ii] Yeats’s burlesque treatment of the relationship between the Irish citizen and the colonial formality of the court also features in the writings of his favourite dramatist, Dion Boucicault andin the novels of Somerville and Ross.
In his sketches Yeats draws attention to the irreverent attitude of the populace to the courts while noting the importance of the petty sessions and court related activity to town life in rural Ireland. Painted in the remarkably prolific year of 1946 this work is undoubtedly inspired by memories of such scenes. However, in this case the business of the court is not evident and other aspects of human life take precedence. Like some other works of the later 1940s, the paint is thinly applied, allowing the white of the primed canvas to function visually as the stone facade of the building and steps. The reclining stance of the traveller is counteracted by the running child in the right foreground. The young girl with golden hair, has her mouth open as if shouting with joy, and her arms are extended upwards as she holds the handles of a go-cart. Behind her from the shadows of the building her tiny companion sits in the cart. Their dynamism is echoed in the strong diagonal sweep of the composition, emphasised by the stretch of the road in the foreground. All three figures, the children and the old man, evoke the idea of free spirits at either ends of their imaginative lives.
Dr. Róisin Kennedy, April 2026
[i] Hilary Pyle, Jack B. Yeats. A Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, 1992, II, p.672.
[ii] Sketchbook 1901, Y1/JY/1/1/36/48, Yeats Archive, National Gallery of Ireland.
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"I should declare my hand. I have a weakness for pictures that punch above their physical weight, and for artists who have been quietly underrated for too long. This pair is both. They are intimate enough to live with at close quarters and serious enough to repay any amount of looking. If the market has lately shown signs of catching up with eighteenth-century Irish painting and I think it has, these two small panels feel, to me, like exactly the sort of thing that will look obvious in twenty years’ time."
Adam’s is honoured to present works from the collection of Lord Rossmore in the upcoming Country House Collections auction at Howth Castle on 28th April. It is seldom that an influential Irish family collection that has survived through the generations comes to the open market.
Works Sold at Adam’s Now in the Irish National Collection
A great opportunity to purchase both established and lesser-known artist’s work at an accessible price point, the Online Picture Auction is the first of many sales to be hosted at Adam’s in 2026. It is perfect for those looking to start a collection and the discerning collector alike.
Through this article, let our expert Adam Pearson guiding you to the (re)discovery of the once established Irish painter Richard O’Neill.
Buying at Auction and the Role of Antiques in a Modern Home
Important Irish Art Auction Highlights
Oliver Dowling Collection by Aidan Dunne
2024 is a year in which Adam’s wants to recognise the key role buying antique furniture and furnishings at auction contributes greatly to the sustainable initiative. In 2019 the Environmental Protection Agency reported stark figures that each year in Ireland 1.2 million reusable bulky items, primarily furniture goes into landfill. Similar to the problem of ‘fast fashion’, the constant production and consumption of new items is leading to rapidly growing waste problem. We want to acknowledge those who are already buying second hand or antique furniture at auction and to encourage new buyers by highlighting the benefits of acquiring affordable, well-made quality items that are built to last.
Irish author, recipe creator and lifestyle influencer, Indy Parsons, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
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Cork-born Irish actress, Sarah Greene, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Yvonne Aupicq had met Orpen, we understand, while working as a nurse during the war. He had been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of scabies which ended up being a far more serious case of blood poisoning as he recounts in his wartime memoir ‘An Onlooker in France’. Their relationship continued after 1918 when Orpen was appointed as the official artist to The Paris Peace Conference. They relocated to capital and over the following decade he painted her numerous times, often nude as in Amiens 1914, or The Rape and Nude Girl Reading (1921). Working with her as his model during these early years after the war allowed Orpen an opportunity to re-fuel his creativity.
Editor-in-Chief of IMAGE Publications, Lizzie Gore-Grimes, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction on September 13th features a prime example of Van Cleef & Arpel's renowned 'Mystery Setting'
Our June auction offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the great masterpieces of Irish art and icons of Dublin’s history.
Georgia Chiesa selects some of her favourite lots in the upcoming Vintage Wine & Spirits Auction
"Beating the bounds is a tradition that can be traced back to the medieval period. At this time, land was divided into parishes and the clergy and church wardens held the responsibility for its upkeep and management. It was up to the Church to ensure that its parishioners knew the local boundary lines and, before maps became commonplace, this had to be kept as a mental record."
Adam’s in conjunction with Suzanne MacDougald are proud to host an online timed auction of artworks to aid the Irish Red Cross’s humanitarian work in delivering vital services to millions of people impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. With no buyers premium 100% of the hammer price will go directly to the Irish Red Cross.
Ros Drinkwater writes of Jack B Yeats' 'The Boat' in the Business Post:
With a consolidated result of €320,000,the At Home sale in Stephan’s Green, was a great success.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
