Two Doorways, One of the 'Twelve Etchings,' or the 'First Venice Set' / James McNeill Whistler
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1954/1.381
- Title
- Two Doorways, One of the 'Twelve Etchings,' or the 'First Venice Set'
- Artist
- James McNeill Whistler
- Artist Nationality
- American
- Artist Life Dates
- 1834-1903
- Medium and Support
- etching and drypoint, printed in dark brown ink on laid paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1879-1880
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
- Inscription
- On the plate, u.l.: Butterfly monogram Signed, in pencil, on tab: Butterfly monogram and imp. In pencil, on verso, l.r. (in Whistler's hand): Before last State / Butterfly monogram Watermark: (elaborate)
- Dimensions
- 20.2 cm x 29.3 cm (7 15/16 in. x 11 9/16 in.)
- Century
- 19th century
- Physical Description
- Seen from the water's edge, a canal in the foreground curves to the right and back into space. In the ditant view, buildings with balconies and chimney pots are visible as well as a bridge that is cropped by the curve of the waterway. In the foreground, across the canal, are several arched entryways. A dark waterdoor is open and shows a man on the steps and two shadowy figures behind him framed in the doorway; a lantern hangs overhead. To the right, another arched doorway with a metal grille above faces the canal, but is closed. A small open window on the seond floor can be seen between the arched doors.
- Subject Matter
- As Otto Bacher recorded, Whistler often sought sites along the back canals that were full of possibilities, often working from the surface of the water in a gondola. Here the qualities of the old gothic and renaissance doors and crumbling walls attract the artist's attentions. In other states Whistler concentrated on the figures in the open doorway, redrawing them in relationship to the dark passage beyond.
- Secondary Keywords
- architecture
- europe
- flat-bottomed watercraft
- geography
- italy
- locality
- monohulls
- objects we use
- study
- transportation vehicles
- vehicles
- watercraft
- watercraft by form
- watercraft by sectional form
- watercraft by specific type
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 631 x 441
- File Size
- 26 KB
- Record
- 1954/1.381
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1954-sl-1.381/1954_1.381.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:1954-SL-1.381:1954_1.381.JPG
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- Full citation
-
"Two Doorways, One of 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-1.381/1954_1.381.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.
