Square House, Amsterdam

1889

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image depicts the façade of a row of old buildings with reflections on water. The painting shows buildings made of wood with windows and detailed framework, reflecting onto a body of water below. The style is reminiscent of James McNeill Whistler, evident in the etching technique and tonal nuances that emphasize both the architectural elements and their mirrored forms on the water's surface.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and drypoint in dark brown on cream laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 23.2 x 17.5 cm (9 1/8 x 6 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8640

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 2012, no. 454, state v/vii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Knoedler & Co., New York). Bought January 7, 1929 by Lessing Julius Rosenwald [1891-1971], Philadelphia, (Lugt 1760b); gift to National Gallery of Art, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1931

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

1984

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., February 1984.

1994

  • James McNeill Whistler, Tate Gallery, London; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994-1995, no. 165.

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. 404, i/iii.

1994

  • James McNeill Whistler. Exh. cat. Tate Gallery, London; Musée d'Orsay, Paris; National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994-1995: no. 165.

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. 454, state v/vii.

Inscriptions

on plate: (butterfly); on tab: (butterfly) imp; lower centre on verso: MK 30694; 52749

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q65022058

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