Currently not on view
The Doorway,
1879–1880
James McNeill Whistler, 1834–1903; born Lowell, MA; died London, England; active England and Paris, France
x1976-106
The fashionable and controversial expatriate painter James McNeill Whistler was also a virtuoso and prolific printmaker. Among the most celebrated of his prints are two sets of intimate and atmospheric etchings from his Venetian sojourn of 1879–80. Etched on one of the largest copper plates that Whistler brought with him from London, this view of the small Renaissance Palazzo Gussoni was made from a boat on the Rio de la Fava, east of the Rialto Bridge. Barely glimpsed through the dark doorway, a caner’s stock of chairs hangs from the ceiling, forming a shadowy pattern that is a variation on the grid of squares in the central grating.
Information
Title
The Doorway
Dates
1879–1880
Maker
Medium
Etching, drypoint and roulette
Dimensions
plate: 29.1 x 20.1 cm (11 7/16 x 7 15/16 in.)
sheet: 29.8 x 20.2 cm. (11 3/4 x 7 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. John L. Bates in memory of her father, Russell T. Mount, Class of 1902
Object Number
x1976-106
Place Made
Europe, England, London
Place Depicted
Europe, Italy, Venice
Signatures
In graphite, tab at botttom left of center: artist mongram [butterfly]
Inscription
In graphite, verso: [three tiny circles by Whistler]
Marks/Labels/Seals
Stamp on verso of tab : A.W. Scholle (Lugt 2923a)
Reference Numbers
Glasgow 193 xx/xx; Kennedy 188 vii/vii; Mansfield 185
Culture
Materials
Techniques
