Gold and Orange: The Neighbors

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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 1894-1895
  • Geography

    United States
  • Material

    Oil on wood panel
  • Dimension

    H x W: 21.6 x 12.8 cm (8 1/2 x 5 1/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1913.66a-b
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1913.66a-b

Object Details

  • Artist

    James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
  • Label

    In his book on Whistler, Denys Sutton noted the "Mallarméan allusiveness" of Gold and Orange: The Neighbors. "Whistler appears to hint at inner meanings and to provide the stuff for interpretation; thus, a strange hallucinatory atmosphere is suggested by the presence of the two old women." Recent cleaning has revealed the delicacy with which Whistler painted the delicious lace curtains and the crispness of the drying laundry.
    Quotation from Denys Sutton, Whistler: Paintings, Etchings, Pastels, and Watercolours (London: Phaidon Press, 1966), 44.
  • Provenance

    To 1913
    Albert Rouiller (d. ca. 1921), Chicago, Illinois, to 1913 [1]
    From 1913 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Albert Rouiller in 1913 [2]
    From 1920
    The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] Undated folder sheet note. See Original Whistler List, "Purchases since making up the Smithsonian Inventory," pg 14, 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: Streetscapes, Urban Change (November 18, 2023 to May 4, 2024)
    Small Masterpieces: Whistler Paintings from the 1880s (April 2, 2005 to November 11, 2008)
    Arrangement in Yellow and Gold: Paintings by James McNeill Whistler (March 14, 1986 to April 1, 1987)
    James McNeill Whistler at the Freer Gallery of Art—Whistler and Modern Life (May 11, 1984 to December 16, 1984)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Albert Roullier (died ca. 1921) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    United States
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Painting
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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