Small Interval in Colour Tones – James Ward Irish Art Print

Example of the Small Interval in Colour Tones – James Ward Abstract Irish Art Print (1912)

The kind of image that makes you slow down. That makes you notice light the way you notice it on a quiet Irish afternoon.

In 1912, James Ward set out to answer a question most artists never thought to ask — what happens in the space between colours? Example of the Small Interval in Colour Tones is the result: a precise, quietly radical study in how sage greens, olive tones and a fine gold interval band speak to each other across the smallest distances. It is colour theory made visible — Plate 12 of his book Colour Harmony and Contrast — and it is beautiful.

Ward was born in Belfast in 1851 and went on to become one of Ireland's most influential artists and educators. As headmaster of the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, he taught and inspired a generation — among them Harry Clarke and Seán Keating, two of the most celebrated names in Irish art history. His murals in Dublin City Hall remain among the great works of Irish public art. This plate was made at the height of his powers, during a period of bold experimentation that placed him at the forefront of Irish modernism.

This is not decoration. This is Irish colour theory — on your wall.

Why This Print

• Authentic Irish art: A work by one of Ireland's most important early modernist artists.
• Rare and distinctive: A colour study unlike anything else — sage, olive and gold tones that work beautifully in Scandinavian, natural and minimalist interiors.
• Interior-friendly: Works beautifully with linen, wood, stone and other natural textures.
• Meaningful gift: For anyone with a love of Irish art, colour theory or considered interior design.

About this work

Example of the Small Interval in Colour Tones is by the Irish artist and teacher James Ward (1851–1924), who was born in Belfast and was headmaster of the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art from 1907 to 1918. It is not a painting: it is Plate 12 from his book Colour Harmony and Contrast, published in its second edition by Chapman and Hall in London in 1912 — a demonstration of what he called the small interval, the harmony that arises between closely related tones. Sage greens, olive tones and a fine gold band are set against each other to show the effect. The original is a printed colour plate in a book, not a work in a museum collection. This print is an open edition, made to order and shipped worldwide.

Sizes & Format

• 30 × 45 cm / 12 × 18″
• 60 × 90 cm / 24 × 36″
• Available framed in black, white, wood

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.