This is a biography of the art dealer and patron Hugh Lane. Born in Cork in 1875 - the descendant of a former lord mayor of the city - Lane made his way to London and apprenticed himself to an art dealer. His discerning eye for quality led to his opening his own gallery soon after.

He was also a man of great social energy who befriended and sometimes crossed swords with the leading cultural figures of the day: Yeats; Gregory; Orpen; Augustus John; Rodin; Beerbohm; and many others.