Richard Irvine Best by Sarah Cecilia Harrison | Irish Art Print

A tall man settled in a chair, dark suit buttoned, hands folded in his lap, against a cool blue-green ground — the Celtic scholar Richard Irvine Best, painted in the stillness of someone who spent his working life among manuscripts.

Best (1872–1959) was born in Derry, met John Millington Synge in Paris and, on his advice, attended d’Arbois de Jubainville’s lectures on Celtic literature. From 1924 to 1940 he was Director of the National Library of Ireland. Joyce put him into Ulysses, in the library chapter: “Mr Best entered, tall, young, mild, light.” Harrison also drew his wife, the pianist Edith Best. The painting is in the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland (NGI.1405).

Suits a library, study or reading room, and makes a thoughtful gift for a Joyce reader. Every print is open edition, made to order and shipped worldwide. See the full Sarah Cecilia Harrison collection.

Sizes & Format

• 30 × 40 cm / 12 × 16″
• 45 × 60 cm / 18 × 24″
• 60 × 80 cm / 24 × 32″
• 75 × 100 cm / 30 × 40″ — unframed only
• Available framed (black, white, wood) or unframed

Print & Frame Details

Archival matte paper, 250gsm (110lb), acid-free and FSC-certified — off-white, uncoated. Framed prints: solid oak or ash wood frame, 20mm thick, with shatterproof protective glazing. Ready to hang, hanging kit included. Unframed prints up to A4 ship flat; larger sizes ship rolled in a protective tube.

Free Worldwide Shipping

Framed prints are packed with protective corners and wrap, boxed with reinforced edges, and braced with internal supports for extra rigidity (max 3 frames per package). Every order ships free, made to order and delivered from the hub closest to you: Ireland 3–7 business days · UK 4–8 · USA 5–10 · Canada 6–12 · Australia 7–14.