Nocturne: Grey and Gold–Canal, Holland

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At A Glance

  • Period

    1882
  • Geography

    United States
  • Material

    Watercolor on paper
  • Dimension

    H x W: 29.3 x 23.1 cm (11 9/16 x 9 1/8 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1902.160a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1902.160a-b

Object Details

  • Artist

    James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
  • Description

    A night view on both sides of the canal, buildings with lighted windows which reflect in the water; two figures in left foreground; signed with the butterfly at lower right.
  • Signatures

    Gray butterfly in lower right corner
  • Paper/Support

    On cold-pressed, wove paper. Graphite sight marks in all four corners.
  • Provenance

    To 1902
    Henry Studdy Theobald (1847-1934), London, to 1902 [1]
    From 1902 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Henry Studdy Theobald in 1902 [2]
    From 1920
    Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Whistler List, Purchases from Thoebald, pg. 5, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. See also, Voucher No. 1, August 1902,
    Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
    [2] See note 1.
    [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Whistler in Watercolor (May 18 to November 3, 2019)
    The Texture of Night: James McNeill Whistler (June 6, 2009 to July 25, 2010)
    Mr. Whistler's Galleries: Avant-garde in Victorian London, 1883 (November 20, 2003 to April 4, 2004)
    James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art—Whistler and Modern Life (May 11, 1984 to December 16, 1984)
    James McNeill Whistler Pastels, Etchings, Paintings, Watercolors (November 11, 1976 to June 24, 1977)
    Whistler Pastels and Water Colors (July 1 to July 31, 1974)
    Exposition des Oeuvres de James McNeill Whistler (May 1905)
    Oil Paintings, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings: Memorial Exhibition of the Works of Mr. J. McNeill Whistler (February 23 to March 22, 1904)
    "Notes"—"Harmonies"—"Nocturnes" (March 1889)
    Exposition Internationale de Peinture et de Sculpture (1887)
    Annual Exhibition of Sketches, Pictures, and Photography (1884)
    "Notes"—"Harmonies"—"Nocturnes" (May 1884)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Henry Studdy Theobald (1847-1934) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    United States
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Painting
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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