Wren's City

1909

Joseph Pennell

Associated Names
Joseph Pennell

Artist, American, 1857 - 1926

The image shows an aerial view of a cityscape with a large cathedral in the center dominating the skyline. The horizon is positioned in the upper third of the image, with the cathedral and other spires stretching across. The artwork uses a soft-focused technique, with smudged brushstrokes or a mezzotint approach creating an ethereal appearance. The color palette is monochromatic with various brown shades, giving a warm, sepia-toned effect. Closest to the viewer is a bridge with sailboat silhouettes reflected in the water. In the distance, the cityscape is blurred, blending with the sky.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    mezzotint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Addie Burr Clark

  • Dimensions

    plate: 25.08 x 30.48 cm (9 7/8 x 12 in.)
    sheet: 30.16 x 34.93 cm (11 7/8 x 13 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1946.9.200

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Wuerth 1928, no. 504

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1928

  • Wuerth, Louis A. Catalogue of the Etchings of Joseph Pennell. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1928.

Inscriptions

in graphite below plate mark, lower center: J. Pennell imp; at edge of sheet [in another hand]: M188V8

Wikidata ID

Q65080165

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