Detail from The Canal, Amsterdam, 1889, James McNeill Whistler, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow

 

Nocturne: Westminster – Grey and Gold

Technique


                    Nocturne: Westminster – Grey and Gold, photograph, 1960s
Nocturne: Westminster – Grey and Gold, photograph, 1960s

Thinly painted on a fairly fine weave canvas. Everything is soft edged, only the clockface, dots of lights and their reflections, providing points of focus.

The 1980 catalogue recorded the size as 27.9 x 46.4 cm (11 x 18 1/4") and suggested that since this was close to the French 'toile de 8' it could have been acquired in Paris.

Conservation History

It was lined and cleaned by Ben Johnson, possibly in 1967/1968. The present authors have not seen the painting, but museum photographs suggest it is much darker than it was at that time.

Frame

48.26 x 67.31 x 5.72 cm (19 x 26 ½ x 2 1/3"),

Last updated: 17th November 2020 by Margaret