Nude Leaning on a Rail [recto]

1871/1874

James McNeill Whistler

Associated Names
James McNeill Whistler

Artist, American, 1834 - 1903

The image shows a person in a forward-bent position, resting their elbows and forearms on a horizontal surface, facing away from the viewer. The person's head is turned slightly to the left, and they have short hair with a possible yellow band or ribbon. The person is unclothed, without jewelry. The focus is on the contours and posture of the body. The background is a plain brownish surface with sketch lines and faint shading.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    chalk and pastel on brown wove paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 27.4 × 18.4 cm (10 13/16 × 7 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.8807.a

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    MacDonald 1995, no. 415, State recto

Associated Artworks

The image shows a faint sketch of a full-body outline of a standing person on brown paper. The person's arms are close to the body with indistinct details, and the facial features and hair are not clearly defined. There is no clothing, jewelry, or objects visible, and the background is solely the brown paper.

Standing Figure [verso]

James McNeill Whistler

1871

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

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.

1955

  • The Drawing and the Print, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC; and Lowe Gallery, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 1955, no cat.

Bibliography

1995

  • MacDonald, Margaret F. James McNeill Whistler: Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours: A Catalogue Raisonné. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1995, no. 415.

Inscriptions

upper left in black chalk: (not deciphered); lower left in graphite by unknown hand: 2.12 6

Wikidata ID

Q64580652

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