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Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room

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At A Glance

On View

Period

1876-1877
Geography

United States
Material

Oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, mosaic tile, glass, and wood
Dimension

H x W x D (overall): 421.6 x 613.4 x 1026.2 cm (166 x 241 1/2 x 404 in)
Accession Number

F1904.61
EDAN ID

edanmdm:fsg_F1904.61

Object Details

Artist

James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
Provenance

From 1877 to 1892

Frederick Richards Leyland (1831-1892), London, from 1877 [1]

From 1892 to 1894

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

From 1894 to 1904

Mrs. James 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] The Peacock Room was once the dining room in the London home, 49 Prince's Gate, of Frederick Richard Leyland. 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. Whistler's painting The Princess from the Land of Porcelain (F19023.91) was removed from the Peacock Room and sold at Christie's in London on May 28, 1892, to Alexander Reid, a Glasgow dealer. The house - which still contained the Peacock Room - did not bring a high enough offer and it was withdrawn from sale.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 set the price at 10,000 guineas and 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. Although Gustave Mayer, the managing partner of Obach & Co., offered the room to Charles Lang Freer on January 26, 1904, a sale did not take place at this time, as Mrs. Watney withdrew the offer. On February 6, 1904, Mayer wrote to Freer that "the present owner, a lady of extraordinary changeableness, has changed her mind three times in ten days, completely reversing her decision in each case" (see Mayer to Freer, February 6, 1904, CLF Papers/Obach). Mrs. Watney changed her mind yet again several weeks later, and on February 17, 1904, Mayer offered the room to Freer for 8,500 guineas, including the cost of disassembly and packing for shipment to Detroit.

[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 the Peacock Room from Mrs. Watney to Obach & Co. Obach & Co. appear to have been full owners of the Peacock Room, having purchased it from Mrs. Watney before immediately selling it 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

The Peacock Room Comes to America [2022] (September 3, 2022 - ongoing)

The Peacock Room Revealed (January 29 to April 15, 2019)

The Peacock Room in Blue and White (May 18, 2019 to June 1, 2022)

The Peacock Room Comes to America [2017-2019] (October 14, 2017 to January 2, 2019)

The Peacock Room Comes to America [2011-2016] (April 9, 2011 to January 4, 2016)

The Peacock Room (May 2, 1923 to February 21, 2011)

Untitled Exhibition, University of Michigan Club, Detroit, 1914 (1914)

Untitled Exhibition, Obach & Co., London, 1904 (1904)
Previous custodian or owner

Frederick Richards Leyland (1831-1892)

Mrs. James Watney I

Obach & Co. (1884-1911) (C.L. Freer source)

Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Origin

United States
Credit Line

Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Type

Architectural Element
On View

Freer Gallery 12: The Peacock Room Comes to America
Restrictions and Rights

CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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