The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Sketch of 'Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac' was drawn in a letter from Whistler to David Croal Thomson (1855-1930), dated 'Saturday', and stamped on receipt, 29 April 1894. ¹ It shows Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac y398, which was then on exhibition at the Exposition Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Champ de Mars, Paris, 1894.

Sketch of 'Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac', Library of Congress

It was catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1405).

Images

Subject

Sitter

Sketch of 'Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac', Library of Congress

Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac (1855-1921): he posed for years for the oil, but not actually for this mini-drawing.

Technique

Composition

Sketch of 'Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac', Library of Congress

Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac, The Frick Collection

The tiny sketch shows Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac y398. The relevant section of the letter reads:

'I shall be very pleased to have a good reproduction of the portrait of the Comte in the Art Journal - But it ought to be done exactly like the one of Carlyle in the P. M. Budget ...

The reproduction ought to be on a full page - with plenty of white margin - This would look much better than too big a picture with less margin - [Sketch] Of course this publication in the Art Journal, in no way touches the copyright.' ²

Technique

Sketch of 'Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac', Library of Congress

It was drawn with the same square nibbed pen as the letter, using the nib sideways to achieve quite fine and detailed effects.

Conservation History

The letter was written on all four sides of a folded sheet of writing paper, the drawing being on side four, and then folded, and the folds are now a bit dirty.

History

Provenance

• 1894: sent by Whistler to David Croal Thomson (1855-1930), London art dealer, then at the Art Journal;
• 1894/1917: bought by Elizabeth Robins Pennell (1855-1936) and Joseph Pennell (1860-1926);
• 1917/1921: given to the Library of Congress.

For further details see MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1405).

Exhibitions

It was not exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 1405) as "Sketch of 'Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac' ".

Websites

• The Correspondence of James McNeill Whistler, 1855-1903, edited by Margaret F. MacDonald, Patricia de Montfort and Nigel Thorp; including The Correspondence of Anna McNeill Whistler, 1855-1880, edited by Georgia Toutziari. Online edition, University of Glasgow, 2003-2004, GUW #08265.