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

 

Symphony in Grey and Gold

Symphony in Grey and Gold may date from between 1868 and 1878. 1

According to Lucas (Luke) Alexander Ionides (1837-1924), Whistler sold him 'A Symphony in grey and gold' in the early 1880s. 2 The title of 'Symphony' was more usual for a figure subject than for a landscape, and might indicate an earlier date, in the late 1860s. However, if it was a foggy or evening scene, it could date from the late 1860s or 1870s.

It is possible that it is Nocturne: Westminster - Grey and Gold [YMSM 144], which is also difficult to date.

Notes:

1: YMSM 1980 [more] (cat. no. 143).

2: Ionides 1924 [more] , p. 51.

Last updated: 18th March 2019 by Margaret