Nocturne

1879/1880

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows a view across a body of water with tall ships and a distant cityscape. The style features fine etching brushstrokes creating a misty atmosphere and reflections on the water. The color palette includes sepia and muted grays. The water leads the eye towards the cityscape, enhancing the depth of the scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 20 x 29.5 cm (7 7/8 x 11 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8517

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 222, state ix/ix

  • Series Title

    Venice, A Series of Twelve Etchings

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Knoedler & Co., New York.). (Charles Sessler), Philadelphia; purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA, 1928, (Lugt 1760b); gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1931

  • Etchings, Lithographs, Original Drawings, and Autograph Letters by James A. McNeill Whistler, The Free Library of Philadelphia, 1931.

1982

  • Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector, NGA, 1982, no. 84, repro.

1995

  • Prints by James McNeill Whistler and His Contemporaries, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995.

2004

  • "Turner, Whistler, Monet", Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Tate Britain, London, 2004-2005, no. 103.

2012

  • "Peintre-graveur: Adventures in Graphic Arts in the 19th Century", Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, Tokyo, Japan, 2012.

Bibliography

1910

  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. New York: Grolier Club, 1910, no. 184, iv/v.

2012

  • MacDonald, Margaret F., Grischka Petri, Joanna Meacock.James McNeill Whistler: The Etchings, a catalogue raisonné. University of Glasgow on-line website at http://etchings.arts.gla.ac.uk. University of Glasgow, 2012: no. 222, state ix/ix.

Inscriptions

on tab: (butterfly imp.)

Watermarks

FELLOWS / 1804 (Chicago watermark 119)

Wikidata ID

Q65021934

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