There is nothing new about celebrity donkeys in Irish fiction. Long before Jenny the Donkey from The Banshees of Inisherin stole the show at this years Golden Globes in Hollywood The Turf Cutter’s Donkey was a favourite of generations of Irish children. Written by Patricia Lynch (1898-1972) and first published in 1934 The Turf Cutter’s Donkey came complete with lovingly evoked illustrations of the Irish landscape by Jack B Yeats. Lot 15 at Morgan O’Driscoll’s sizzling online sale of Irish art which runs until January 30 is an illustration by Yeats of the Turf Cutter’s Donkey which has never before been on the auction market. The sale boasts no less than five watercolours by Yeats, three of them from the tale of mystery and adventure by Patricia Lynch. It follows the exploits of Seamus and Eileen, turf cutters children from a whitewashed cottage befriended by a donkey who leads them into a series of extraordinary adventures. Leading the three illustrations from the work is The Turf Cutter’s Donkey, estimated at €15,000-€25,000. How did you get there? He asked in amazement is estimated at €5,000-€7,000 and Look at the Showdown by the Red Rock is estimated at €8,000-€12,000. Other works by Yeats, The Derelict (1910) and The Pannier Market (1906) are estimated respectively at €10,000-€15,000 and €15,000-€25,000.
There will be much interest in Two Pears, a 1977 oil on canvas by William Scott estimated at €50,000-€70,000. Scott remains the most internationally celebrated Ulster painter of the 20th century and a work of this calibre is likely to generate significant competitive bidding. Among the other artists with a strong following featured in this sale are Donald Teskey, John Shinnors, Hughie O’Donoghue, Mainie Jellett and James Arthur O’Connor. The catalogue is online and viewing gets underway in Skibbereen on January 26.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for January 12, 2023)
