Technique

Whistler used the texture of the paper, scumbling a brushful of warm grey across the regular, almost canvas-like grain, for the sky and sea. The harmony is subtle – an almost monochrome study, punctuated with calligraphic details added with the point of the brush. Shiny roofs, cranes in a darker grey with touches of rust, and a lovely rust-coloured butterfly, were placed with oriental emphasis. The skyline at right was painted nearly black, the brushwork throughout is beautiful, a wide variety of strokes used confidently, with a sparkle in both sky and sea.

See technical details in Whistler in Watercolour, Freer|Sackler, Washington, 2019, website.

Conservation History

The paper has a crease in it, which runs through the clouds, and it has browned, particularly around the edges. there are traces of gilt from the mount