James McNeill Whistler (Lowell, Massachusetts, 1834 - 1903, London, England)
Second Venice Set: Little Court, 1880-1881
Etching printed on paper
This horizontal etching shows a Venetian street scene with figures milling about a two story building. The print is loosely drawn with black lines on a golden-brown paper tone. The first story of the building has an open square doorway and a vertical double window to our left. The second story has four vertical paned windows. In front of the building is an open area. There are at least ten figures inside the first-floor doorway and window and in the open area in front. One of the figures in front appears to be sweeping and two stand around a wheeled-cart. To our left there is a structure that is rendered more sparingly and appears to lean and curve. To our right there is the hint of another building with a dark, hatched doorway and a figure perhaps holding a smaller figure or object on its shoulders. Whistler’s butterfly signature appears on a tab at the bottom.
Short Gallery
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.