Staircase panel

Object Details

• Artist

  James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

• Provenance

  From 1876 to 1892

  Frederick Richards Leyland (1831-1892), London, from 1876 [1]

  From 1892 to 1894

  Estate of Frederick Richards Leyland, London, from 1892 [2]

  From 1894 to 1904

  Mrs. James Watney (Blanche Marie Georgiana Burrell Watney), London, purchased from the Estate of Frederick Richards Leyland in 1894 [3]

  1904

  Obach & Co., London, purchased from Mrs. James Watney, through Messrs. Brown and Phillips of the Leicester Galleries, London, in 1904 [4]

  From 1904 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Obach & Co. in 1904 [5]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [6]

  Notes:

  [1] These panels were removed from a staircase in Frederick Richard Leyland's house, 49 Prince's Gate, London (see Curatorial Remark 2 in the object record). When Frederick Richard Leyland died in 1892, 49 Prince's Gate - and its contents - was offered for sale.

  Leyland's porcelains and other treasures were sold. The house - which still contained these stair panels, as well as the famous Peacock Room - did not bring a high enough offer and it was withdrawn from sale. It was finally purchased in 1894 by Mrs. James (Blanche) Watney. Upon discovering that the Peacock Room could be taken apart and reassembled, Mrs. Watney decided to sell the room. In 1903, Mrs. Watney engaged Messrs. Brown and Phillips of the Leicester Galleries in Leicester Square as agents. Unable to purchase, dismantle, and reassemble the room on their own, Ernest Brown, one of principals, enlisted the cooperation of Obach & Co., a larger gallery on New Bond Street. In 1904, Charles Lang Freer purchased the Peacock Room from Obach & Co., and soon thereafter purchased these stair panels (see Curatorial Remark 5, David Park Curry, 1984, in the object record). See also, F1904.61, Curatorial Remarks and Provenance, for more information.

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See note 1.

  [4] See note 1. Also, the exact nature of the transactions between Mrs. Watney, Messrs. Brown and Phillips of the Leicester Galleries, and Obach & Co. is somewhat unclear. Messrs. Brown and Phillips appear to have acted simply as agents for Mrs. Watney, facilitating the sale of architectural fragments of 49 Prince's Gate, from Mrs. Watney to Obach & Co.

  Obach & Co. appear to have been full owners of these pieces, having purchased them from Mrs. Watney before selling them to Freer.

  [5] See notes 1 and 4.

  [6] 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

  Ruffled Feathers: Creating Whistler's Peacock Room (July 13, 2024 to January 21, 2027)

  Whistler & Japan (May 14, 1995 to January 1, 1996)

  James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art: Whistler as Decorator (May 11, 1984 to December 5, 1984)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  United States

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Painting

• On View

  Freer Gallery 11: Ruffled Feathers: Creating Whistler's Peacock Room

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

  This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1870s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang

• Place

  United States

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, American Art, Morning glory

• Culture

  Americans

• Object Type

  Paintings

• On View

  Yes