The Doorway, from the "Twelve Etchings", or the "First Venice Set" / James McNeill Whistler

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Record Details

Accession Number
1954/1.375
Title
The Doorway, from the "Twelve Etchings", or the "First Venice Set"
Artist Nationality
American
Artist Life Dates
1834-1903
Object Creation Date
1879-1880
Object Creation Place
North America
American
Creation Place 1
North America
Creation Place 2
American
Style/Group/Movement
Aesthetic Movement
Inscription
On the plate, u.l.: Butterfly monogram Signed in pencil, on tab: Butterfly monogram and imp. Watermark (?)
Dimensions
29.4 cm x 20.2 cm (11 9/16 in. x 7 15/16 in.)
Century
19th century
Primary Object Classification
Print
Primary Object Type
intaglio print
Physical Description
A large ornate waterdoor faces onto a canal. On the threshold near the water, a woman bends down towards the surface of the canal. Behind the doorway stands another figure in the shadows and beyond is another opening to a small square or open-air workspace. The Doorway consists of a large lunette shaped transom light over the door and the portal is flanked on either side by large arched windows. The glazing is all fitted into a fine network of mullions in either square on diamond patterns. The door and windows are each framed by carved pilasters and engaged corinthian capitals. Below the windows are bands of rosettes and other carved ornaments that extends to the water level.
Subject Matter
Whistler discovered "a Venice within Venice" that had never captured the attention of earlier artists. Rather than focus on Venice's grand public spaces, he worked along the back canals, in both pastel and in etching, finding topics of local color and rich detail. This doorway belonged to a chair repair shop. In the first state--and again in the last state--the woman's stooping gesture is given significance by the cloth in her hand; she is washing out dye in the canal. In this state the fabric has not been redrawn yet.
Secondary Keywords
arches and arch components
architectural elements
associated concepts
buildings and the land
circulation elements
components
components and systems
components by specific context
energy and related concepts
energy-related concepts
europe (continent)
geographic and political locations
hydraulic structures
hydraulic structures by form
italy (nation)
light-related concepts
openings (architectural elements)
openings and opening components
openings by form
people and culture
physical activities
physical activities by general context
physical sciences concepts
physics concepts
scientific concepts
single built works
single built works by function
single built works by specific type
spanning and projecting structural elements
stair components
stairs and stair components
steps and step components
structural elements
structural elements and structural element components
veneto (region)
venezia (province)
windows and window components
Rights
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Technical Details

Image Size
933 x 1409
File Size
183 KB
Record
1954/1.375
Link to this Item
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.375/1954_1.375.jpg

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Manifest
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1954-SL-1.375:1954_1.375.JPG

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Full citation
"The Doorway, from the "Twelve Etchings", or the "First Venice Set"; James McNeill Whistler." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.375/1954_1.375.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed March 28, 2024.
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