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

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M.1260
A butterfly in the clouds

Artist: James McNeill Whistler
Date: 1890
Collection: Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Accession Number: F1904.90
Medium: black chalk and white paint
Support: off-white wove paper
Size: 9 13/16-10 1/16 x 9-9 1/16" (250-255 x 229-231 mm)
Signature: butterfly
Inscription: '[3/4w]' in an unknown hand.

A butterfly in the clouds

Description

A butterfly in the clouds, Freer Gallery of Art
A butterfly in the clouds, Freer Gallery of Art

A butterfly based on Whistler's monogram 'JW', with the addition of a long barbed tail, is seen flying above the clouds. It was designed for Whistler 1890 [more] .

Last updated: 19th March 2021 by Margaret