James Abbott McNeill Whistler American, 1834-1903 Maison, Rue Orbe, circa 1857-58 American, 1834-1903 Maison, Rue Orbe, circa 1857-58 Signed Whistler (ll); inscribed as titled (lr) Graphite pencil on paper 7 3/8 x 4 1/8 inches Provenance: The artist Gifted to his niece, Mrs. Charles Thynne Collection of a Gentleman, Paris By descent to his daughter Sale: Christie's London, Dec. 19, 1972, I. D. Gale Estate of Patricia O'C. Abell, 1999 Private collection, New York Exhibited: London, New Gallery, Memorial Exhibition of the Works of the Late James McNeill Whistler First President of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters, and Gravers, Feb. 22-Apr. 15, 1905, no. 207 New York, Spanierman Gallery, Works on Paper, Nov. 20, 2008- Jan. 3, 2009, pp. 14-15, no. 5, illus. Literature: Margaret F. MacDonald. James McNeill Whistler Drawings, Pastels and Watercolors: A Catalogue Raisonne. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995, pp. 68-69, no. 224, illus. Carol Lowrey and Lisa N. Peters. Works on Paper. Exh. cat. New York: Spanierman Gallery, 2008, pp. 14-15, no. 5, illus. In early 1858, Whistler began assembling a portfolio of drawings that he would subsequently transform into his "French Set," the group of etchings deriving from his travels in the year through Alsace and Lorraine to Cologne, Germany, and ultimately to Holland. The works embodied his aesthetic credo that reality should be approached without preference, sentiment, or apology. Depicting an old house in Rouen, the historical capital of Normandy, Maison, Rue Orbe is one of these drawings. In its vertical composition, subtle reliance on detail, and sense of history, it reflects the influence of Charles Meryon's streetscapes of the previous half decade. In Whistler's image, the two figures in front of the building, the suggestion of a winding staircase, the flower boxes in two of the windows, and the lettered sign above the storefront all seem to rescue the building from dereliction. The artist gave this drawing to his niece, and it was included in his 1905 memorial exhibition. C The Spanierman Gallery, LLC
Toned. This work is laid down to a second sheet. There is a 7/8 x 1/8 inch repair to the paper edge at the upper center left. There is a second repair to the paper in the lower right corner. The sheet has been extended in the upper register, along a diagonal running from 3/8 of an inch down from the upper left corner to 1 1/4 inches down from the right corner. Most of the cornice extends into this restored area and may possibly be by another hand. There are multipule repaired tiny tears along the edges of the sheet. There is a horizontal crease 1/3 down from the top and numerous creases along the lower register.
James Abbott McNeill Whistler American, 1834-1903 Maison, Rue Orbe, circa 1857-58 American, 1834-1903 Maison, Rue Orbe, circa 1857-58 Signed Whistler (ll); inscribed as titled (lr) Graphite pencil on paper 7 3/8 x 4 1/8 inches Provenance: The artist Gifted to his niece, Mrs. Charles Thynne Collection of a Gentleman, Paris By descent to his daughter Sale: Christie's London, Dec. 19, 1972, I. D. Gale Estate of Patricia O'C. Abell, 1999 Private collection, New York Exhibited: London, New Gallery, Memorial Exhibition of the Works of the Late James McNeill Whistler First President of the International Society of Sculptors, Painters, and Gravers, Feb. 22-Apr. 15, 1905, no. 207 New York, Spanierman Gallery, Works on Paper, Nov. 20, 2008- Jan. 3, 2009, pp. 14-15, no. 5, illus. Literature: Margaret F. MacDonald. James McNeill Whistler Drawings, Pastels and Watercolors: A Catalogue Raisonne. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995, pp. 68-69, no. 224, illus. Carol Lowrey and Lisa N. Peters. Works on Paper. Exh. cat. New York: Spanierman Gallery, 2008, pp. 14-15, no. 5, illus. In early 1858, Whistler began assembling a portfolio of drawings that he would subsequently transform into his "French Set," the group of etchings deriving from his travels in the year through Alsace and Lorraine to Cologne, Germany, and ultimately to Holland. The works embodied his aesthetic credo that reality should be approached without preference, sentiment, or apology. Depicting an old house in Rouen, the historical capital of Normandy, Maison, Rue Orbe is one of these drawings. In its vertical composition, subtle reliance on detail, and sense of history, it reflects the influence of Charles Meryon's streetscapes of the previous half decade. In Whistler's image, the two figures in front of the building, the suggestion of a winding staircase, the flower boxes in two of the windows, and the lettered sign above the storefront all seem to rescue the building from dereliction. The artist gave this drawing to his niece, and it was included in his 1905 memorial exhibition. C The Spanierman Gallery, LLC
Toned. This work is laid down to a second sheet. There is a 7/8 x 1/8 inch repair to the paper edge at the upper center left. There is a second repair to the paper in the lower right corner. The sheet has been extended in the upper register, along a diagonal running from 3/8 of an inch down from the upper left corner to 1 1/4 inches down from the right corner. Most of the cornice extends into this restored area and may possibly be by another hand. There are multipule repaired tiny tears along the edges of the sheet. There is a horizontal crease 1/3 down from the top and numerous creases along the lower register.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
