Courtyard on Canal; Grey and Red
- Date
- 1879–80
- Material
- Pastel and charcoal
- depicts
- Venice, Veneto region, Italy, Europe
- Classification
- Drawings & watercolors
- Collection
- Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 11 7/8 x 8 in. (30.1 x 20.3 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of J. Lionberger Davis
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 545:1957
NOTES
Bright spots of color pop out against this dark sheet of paper. A lattice-like network of charcoal lines supports the vivid areas of pastel that enliven a scene of urban daily life in a corner of a city. Looking out over the various features that make up this setting, James McNeill Whistler captured a delicate moment that vibrates with the scenes unfolding beyond doorways and through windows. The artist himself seems to remain at a distance, unobserved by the figures who capture his attention. Whistler spent more than a year fascinated by Venice. It was in this distinctive northern Italian city that he made use of pastel for landscapes and street scenes such as this for the first time.
Provenance
Walter Greaves (1846–1930), London, England
by 1903
W. Marchant & Co. [William Stephen Marchant], London, England, purchased from Walter Greaves [1]
by 1905 - 1914
Richard A. Canfield (1855–1914), Providence, Rhode Island, USA, probably purchased from W. Marchant & Co. [2]
1914
M. Knoedler & Co., New York, New York, USA, purchased from R. A. Canfield [3]
1914/04/30 - 1948
Harris Whittemore (1864–1927), Naugatuck, Connecticut, USA, purchased from M. Knoedler & Co.; his estate (J. H. Whittemore Company), Naugatuck, Connecticut, USA [4]
1948
M. Knoedler & Co. and Carstairs Gallery [Carroll Carstairs], New York, New York, USA (owned jointly), purchased at auction [“Modern Paintings and Drawings From the Collections of the Late Harris Whittemore and Frank W. Crowninshield . . .,” Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., May 19, 1948, no. 62, ill.]
1948 - 1957
J. Lionberger Davis (1878–1973), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Carstairs Gallery [5]
1957 -
Saint Louis Art Museum [6]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Margaret F. MacDonald's catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 790 [MacDonald, Margaret F. "James McNeill Whistler Drawings, Pastels, and Watercolors: A Catalogue Raisonné." New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] According to MacDonald [see unnumbered note], W. Marchant purchased the drawing from Walter Greaves (source: a receipt from the Marchant collection in the Tate Archives). MacDonald also notes that the drawing was in a Marchant exhibition in London in 1903. It is unclear when Walter Greaves acquired the print before selling it to W. Marchant by 1903.
[2] A label from R. A. Canfield was removed from the back of the frame [SLAM document files]. Per MacDonald, Canfield loaned the drawing to an exhibition in Paris in 1905.
[3] A label from M. Knoedler & Co., removed from the back of the frame, confirms their ownership of the drawing [SLAM document files]. M. Knoedler & Co., inventory card for stock number WCA1102, Getty Research Institute, Knoedler Gallery Archive [SLAM document files]. Per MacDonald, Knoedler purchased the drawing on March 12, 1914.
[4] Two labels removed from the back of the frame, one for a loan to the “Museum of Fine Arts” (Boston, per MacDonald), confirm Whittemore’s ownership of this drawing [SLAM document files].
[5] MacDonald states that Davis purchased the drawing in October 1948, but the M. Knoedler & Co. Inventory card lists a sale date in December 1948 [ “December / [illegible] 28 / 1948”]. M. Knoedler & Co., inventory card for stock number WCA1102, Getty Research Institute, Knoedler Gallery Archive [SLAM document files].
[6] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and the Advisory Committee of the City Art Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 12, 1957.
by 1903
W. Marchant & Co. [William Stephen Marchant], London, England, purchased from Walter Greaves [1]
by 1905 - 1914
Richard A. Canfield (1855–1914), Providence, Rhode Island, USA, probably purchased from W. Marchant & Co. [2]
1914
M. Knoedler & Co., New York, New York, USA, purchased from R. A. Canfield [3]
1914/04/30 - 1948
Harris Whittemore (1864–1927), Naugatuck, Connecticut, USA, purchased from M. Knoedler & Co.; his estate (J. H. Whittemore Company), Naugatuck, Connecticut, USA [4]
1948
M. Knoedler & Co. and Carstairs Gallery [Carroll Carstairs], New York, New York, USA (owned jointly), purchased at auction [“Modern Paintings and Drawings From the Collections of the Late Harris Whittemore and Frank W. Crowninshield . . .,” Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., May 19, 1948, no. 62, ill.]
1948 - 1957
J. Lionberger Davis (1878–1973), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Carstairs Gallery [5]
1957 -
Saint Louis Art Museum [6]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is Margaret F. MacDonald's catalogue raisonné, cat. no. 790 [MacDonald, Margaret F. "James McNeill Whistler Drawings, Pastels, and Watercolors: A Catalogue Raisonné." New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] According to MacDonald [see unnumbered note], W. Marchant purchased the drawing from Walter Greaves (source: a receipt from the Marchant collection in the Tate Archives). MacDonald also notes that the drawing was in a Marchant exhibition in London in 1903. It is unclear when Walter Greaves acquired the print before selling it to W. Marchant by 1903.
[2] A label from R. A. Canfield was removed from the back of the frame [SLAM document files]. Per MacDonald, Canfield loaned the drawing to an exhibition in Paris in 1905.
[3] A label from M. Knoedler & Co., removed from the back of the frame, confirms their ownership of the drawing [SLAM document files]. M. Knoedler & Co., inventory card for stock number WCA1102, Getty Research Institute, Knoedler Gallery Archive [SLAM document files]. Per MacDonald, Knoedler purchased the drawing on March 12, 1914.
[4] Two labels removed from the back of the frame, one for a loan to the “Museum of Fine Arts” (Boston, per MacDonald), confirm Whittemore’s ownership of this drawing [SLAM document files].
[5] MacDonald states that Davis purchased the drawing in October 1948, but the M. Knoedler & Co. Inventory card lists a sale date in December 1948 [ “December / [illegible] 28 / 1948”]. M. Knoedler & Co., inventory card for stock number WCA1102, Getty Research Institute, Knoedler Gallery Archive [SLAM document files].
[6] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and the Advisory Committee of the City Art Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum, December 12, 1957.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.
