Titles

Minor variations on the title include:

• 'lute player' (1903, C. L. Freer). 1
• 'Die Violinspielerin' (1903, Entwicklung des Impressionismus in Malerei und Plastik, Vienna). 2
• 'The Violinist' (1905, ISSPG). 3
• 'The Violin Player' (1943, Cleveland Museum of Art). 4
• 'The Violinist' (1980, YMSM). 5

'The Violinist' is the preferred title.

Description

A half-length portrait of a young woman seated, facing the viewer. She wears an evening dress in grey and pink, with a deep v-neck, and holds a violin under her right arm. She is lit from the left, and set against a dark brown background. The canvas is in vertical format.

Sitter

Unknown. She has a certain resemblance to a later model, Muriel Smith (fl. 1880-1910).

Comments

The most famous of Whistler's musical subjects is the portrait of the violinist, Arrangement in Black: Portrait of Señor Pablo de Sarasate [YMSM 315].