Portrait of Rosa Butt (d.1926)

Executed in oil on canvas, the painting employs a loose yet controlled brushwork characteristic of post‑impressionist approaches. Yeats balances tonal modulation with subtle color harmonies, allowing the figure to emerge from a simplified background while retaining a tactile surface quality.

After its completion, the portrait entered private ownership before being acquired by the National Gallery of Ireland. The museum’s records indicate that the work has been part of its permanent holdings since the early twentieth century, providing a continuous public presence.

John Butler Yeats, an Irish painter active at the turn of the century, was the father of poet William Butler Yeats and artist Jack Butler Yeats. His practice bridged traditional portrait conventions and emerging modernist tendencies, situating this work within a transitional moment in Irish art history.