The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Rose et or: La Napolitaine dates from between 1898 and 1899. ¹ Whistler's biographers, the Pennells, record that Whistler was painting several portraits of Carmen Rossi (b. ca 1878 about 1897. ²

However, the date range of 1898/1899 is more likely. It was possibly this portrait of Carmen that was mentioned by Edward Guthrie Kennedy (1849-1932) on 30 June 1899 as suitable for exhibition in New York. ³

Rose et or: La Napolitaine, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

Violet and Rose: Carmen qui rit, The Hunterian

This dating is confirmed by its similarity to other portraits of Carmen, and by the known association of Carmen and Whistler in Paris at this time. The earliest portrait of her was Crimson note: Carmen y441, followed by the painting under discussion, Rose et or: La Napolitaine, and Violet and Rose: Carmen qui rit y506.

Images

Subject

Titles

Suggestions for the title are as follows:

• 'Rose et Or: La Napolitaine' (1904, Royal Society of Portrait Painters). ⁴
• 'Rose et or: La Napolitaine' (1980, YMSM). ⁵
• 'Pink and Gold: The Neapolitan' (2018, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza). ⁶

'Pink and Gold: The Neapolitan' is a translation of the original title: the earlier title 'Rose et Or: La Napolitaine' is preferred.

Description

Rose et or: La Napolitaine, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

A head and bust portrait of a woman, in vertical format. She is in three-quarter view, turned slightly to her left, but looks at the viewer. She has black hair parted in the middle, and a black shawl over a dark pink or purple dress.

Sitter

Carmen Rossi (b. ca 1878. She modelled for Whistler when young and again in the late 1890s. By September 1898 she was established as proprietor of the Académie Carmen at No. 6 Passage Stanislas, Paris, and they were in frequent contact until the Académie closed in 1901.

Technique

Technique

Rose et or: La Napolitaine, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

Whistler painted several portraits of Carmen Rossi (Crimson note: Carmen y441, Rose et or: La Napolitaine y505, Violet and Rose: Carmen qui rit y506, and Harmony in Rose and Green: Carmen y507). Rose et or: La Napolitaine y505 is by far the most finished, and rich in colour, and giving Carmen a more imposing appearance than in her other portraits.

The technique employed by Whistler in these late works includes extensive rubbing down of the paint layers, revealing the fine regular weave of the canvas, particularly on and around her face, and enhancing the smooth transition between colours, and between light and dark. By contrast, the glossy texture of her full gathered sleeves was indicated with broad strokes of a square brush in pink over a deep maroon/brown.

Conservation History

Rose et or: La Napolitaine, photograph, 1976

On 17 June 1902 Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) of Detroit told Pennell that Whistler had asked him to help locate some pictures, possibly including this portrait, and, he said, Whistler 'wanted ... one painting in particular because it was not finished.' ⁷ Freer mentioned in a letter to Whistler's lawyers regarding a portrait of Carmen, 'The picture when returned was found to be much painted upon which will be also a matter of further consideration.' ⁸

Rose et or: La Napolitaine was sold by the Farnsworth Museum about 1957, because it was in poor condition and 'unattractive.' ⁹ However, it has been carefully restored and is in excellent condition.

History

Provenance

• 1902: possibly sold by Carmen Rossi (b. ca 1878 to Charles Hessele (fl. 1892-1914), Paris dealer;
• 1902: possibly sold to Leopold Stevens (1866-1935), and by him to Georges Petit (1856-1920), Paris dealer;
• 1902: possibly bought back from Petit by Whistler;
• 1903: in Whistler's studio at his death and bequeathed to his ward and executrix, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958);
• 1906: sold by her to Richard Albert Canfield (1855-1914) of Providence, for £1000;
• 1914: bought from him by Knoedler, New York dealers, 12 March 1914;
• 1920: sold by Knoedler's to George H. Webster (d. 1934?), Haverhill, MA, January 1920;
• 1934: bequeathed to the Farnsworth Museum, Wellesley College, MA;
• ca 1957: sold by the Farnsworth Museum to Hirschl & Adler, New York dealers;
• 1961: sold to Steven Juvelis (1921-1994), art dealer, Lynn, MA;
• 1962: sold by Juvelis at auction, Christie's, London, 22 June 1962 (lot 20), and bought by Nicholls, 700 guineas, for Julius H. Weitzner (1896-1986), London art dealer.
• 1967: sold at auction, Sotheby's, London, 12 April 1967 (lot 51), bought in by Helverton at £700;
• 1968: with David David, Philadelphia art dealer.
• 1978: with Kennedy Galleries, New York.
• 1982: bought by the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid.

The early history of this painting is confused and the later, complicated.

In 1899 the art dealer Edward Guthrie Kennedy (1849-1932) suggested that Whistler might like to send a portrait of Carmen – he does not say which, but it could well be this portrait – to him in New York. Whistler replied:

'So while you have been silently softening toward the Carmen, I had no inkling of such gentle concession. - so that I have received overheated advances for the possession of the picture, and have promised to entertain them - from a man here who has just now carried off seven paintings that you, for the last two years, had not perceived as sufficiently "grown" to be of service.' ¹⁰

The purchaser of 'seven works' appears to have been Charles Hessele or Hessèle, whose name is recorded in Whistler's ledger, but it is not absolutely certain that the sale went through (see St Ives, The Nets on the Hill y270).

In August 1901 Whistler discovered that his model, Carmen Rossi, had sold some of his pictures to Hessele, and he enlisted the help of his sister-in-law, Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958), and the Massières of the Académie Carmen, Clifford Isaac Addams (1876-1942) and Inez Eleanor Addams (1874-1958), to persuade Carmen Rossi to provide information on the transaction. ¹¹ By April 1902 negotiations were on foot with Carmen Rossi and her husband to retrieve a portrait of Carmen, probably this one. ¹² On 9 June 1902 Clifford Addams reported to Whistler that Carmen Rossi was prepared to sell 'her portrait.' ¹³ He elaborated on the situation, which was far from clear:

'Madame Carmen seems to offer the portrait as a guarantee of her present wish to commence relations with Mr Whistler again ... She regrets that the price of her redemption has gone up and alleges that M. Petit has sold the picture to a friend, from whom it is abstracted by M. Petit in order it appears to be rid of a transaction which has brought him into comment.

To probe Mme Carmen as to this change of temporary ownership, I went so far as to suggest that she should be the one to touch the 1500! She swore by everything known: that she was not a beneficiary. 7000 left her always ready to abandon her sale - 8000 interested her but she left no alternative, saying that 8500 was absolute.

Hessel has once offered 12000 to her -

... I think the Gang will be gladly told that 1500 has been gained but whether they are underneath this frank sale I am ignorant. ...

She did hypothecate the portrait & gave her name to a paper & received no promise in return, simply money - so she claims to be unable to get the picture for the original 7000f & can only arrange for my visiting the friend of Petit presumably not representing you.

... I have ventured to wire you for the money as for two months, she has fought shy. The proper receipt & the document of the original sale effected through Hessel, with Carmens name to it, I shall insist on having. Hessel made 500f on that. This, dear Master, is sent in haste & bears my wishes for success, to be obtained, I still hope for 7000.' ¹⁴

Whistler first insisted that she must agree to 7000 francs, then 8000, then sent a cheque for 8500. ¹⁵ However the affair was not settled: on 13 June 1902 Inez Addams wrote:

'negotiations are suspended until tomorrow - this is owing to an interview with Carmen & Rossi this morning - when my husband seeing a probable chance of obtaining the picture for 7500 frs - pushed this chance; & tomorrow is to go with Carmen to M. Georges Petit - who is to hand over the picture - Carmen assumes that he bought it for 7500 frs - the odd 500 going to the intermediary - but who this is - it seems impossible to find out.

... my husband ... believes Georges Petit gets the 1000 of 8500 having to be paid … Presumably the picture is on sale for a few days only, after that it is supposed to go to the man whom they say has bought it!' ¹⁶

Next day they reported partial success:

'it was not possible to conclude the purchase for less that 8500 francs

It had been arranged with Carmen and Rossi yesterday that it could be obtained by them for 8000 - my husband pretending that you would only give 7000 that he himself would offer 500 & Rossi said he would give another 500, and they were all to go to M. Georges Petit this morning - Carmen coming here first -

As she did not come Mr Addams went to her house and word had been left with the concierge that "Elle ne peut pas arranger vôtre affaire" and ... she would not be seen.

Then my husband went immediately to M. Georges Petit. There also he found the same desire not to be interviewed ...

it was said that the price was 8500 frs & nothing less -

That the picture had originally belonged to M. Stevens & was being sold by him ...

it was arranged that it should be handed over to my husband on receipt of 8500 frs & "should be fetched from some gentleman whom they were not at liberty to name["] ... it was brought & my husband has a stamped receipt - It is now here.' ¹⁷

The receipt reads:

'Reçu de Monsieur Addams la somme de Huit mille cinq cents francs pour rétrocession d'un tableau par Whistler - Portrait de femme, qu'il avait vendu à M. Léopold Stévens et que ce dernier avait vendu à M. Georges Petit.' ¹⁸

The receipt is annotated: 'On 2 Augt Messrs Webb wrote George Petit pointing out that this picture was never sold by Mr Whistler to Leopold Stevens.' And the Lawyers did so write, and that, at last, was that. ¹⁹

According to the Pennells, writing many years later,

'for months he had been worried and annoyed by the disappearance of much work from the studio ... the missing work began to reappear for sale in Paris shops and other places ... we heard from a Paris dealer of [works] being brought to him by servants of Whistler's who ... explained that it was thus he paid them.' ²⁰

The Pennells record that Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) had Carmen Rossi followed to Rome and bought some pictures from her, while she sold others (Nocturne in Blue and Silver: The Lagoon,Venice y212) at the Hôtel Drouot in Paris after Whistler's death, saying that 'Whistler gave her the paintings ... instead of money, in payment of bills he owed her.' ²¹ In 1902 Freer noted in his diary seeing three portraits of Carmen in Whistler's studio, including 'one red / One Black / shawl around neck (stolen).' ²² It is not entirely clear which portraits Freer saw, nor which was the stolen portrait, nor indeed if one actually had been stolen.

Rose et or: La Napolitaine, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

Violet and Rose: Carmen qui rit, The Hunterian

Harmony in Rose and Green: Carmen, The Hunterian

In two of the portraits the model is wearing a pink dress (Violet and Rose: Carmen qui rit y506, Harmony in Rose and Green: Carmen y507). In two there are areas of red (a red shawl in Violet and Rose: Carmen qui rit and a red background in Harmony in Rose and Green: Carmen). She wears a shawl in two (Rose et or: La Napolitaine y505 and Violet and Rose: Carmen qui rit). None appears particularly black, although her hair is in each case very dark. In any case Freer apparently did not expect to purchase any of the portraits he saw in 1902 (in his diary it was his practice to initial his purchases 'CLF').

The later provenance of Rose et or: La Napolitaine y505 is straightforward: it was in Whistler's possession by the time of his death in 1903, and bequeathed to Miss R. Birnie Philip, who sold it to the gambler R. A. Canfield for £1000, and sent it to Obach & Co. for shipment on 3 April 1906. ²³ The history of the portrait is fairly clear thereafter, although many art dealers and auction houses were involved before the painting arrived in Madrid.

Exhibitions

• 1904: 14th Exhibition, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, London, 1904 (cat. no. 4) as 'Rose et Or: La Napolitaine'.

It was not exhibited in Whistler's lifetime.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• Young, Andrew McLaren, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer, and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, 1980 (cat. no. 505), plate 351, as 'Rose et or: La Napolitaine'.

Authored by Whistler

• None.

Catalogues 1855-1905

• 14th Exhibition, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, London, 1904 (cat. no. 4) as 'Rose et Or: La Napolitaine'.

Newspapers 1855-1905

• Anon., Globe, London, 8 November 1904, p. 5.
• Anon., 'Great Masters', London Evening Standard, London, 9 November 1904, p. 2.
• Anon., Pall Mall Gazette, London, 11 November 1904, p. 12.
• Anon., Illustrated London News, London, 3 December 1904, pp. 2-3.

Journals 1855-1905

• None.

Monographs

• None.

Books on Whistler

• Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, and Joseph Pennell, The Life of James McNeill Whistler, 2 vols, London and Philadelphia, 1908, vol. 2, p. 203.
• Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, and Joseph Pennell, The Whistler Journal, Philadelphia, 1921, pp. 243-44, repr. f.p. 244.

Books, General

• Berk, Jiminez Jill (ed.), Dictionary of Artists' Models, London, 2013, p. 469.

Catalogues 1906-Present

EXHIBITIONS:

• 76th Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1907 (cat. no. 505) as 'La Napolitaine'.
• Paintings in oil and pastel by James McNeill Whistler, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1910 (cat. no. 65).
• Oils, Water Colors, Pastels and Drawings by James McNeill Whistler lent by Mr. Richard Canfield, Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Buffalo, 1911 (cat. no. 4) repr. p. 14.
• International Exhibition of Modern Art, Association of American Paintings and Sculpture, Armory of the 69th Infantry, New York, 1913 (cat. no. 48).
• American Classics of the Nineteenth Century, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh; Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica; Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA; Baltimore Museum of Art; Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, NH, 1957 (cat. no. 53).
• Young, A. McLaren, James McNeill Whistler, Arts Council Gallery, London, and Knoedler Galleries, New York, 1960 (cat. no. 73).

SALES:

• Christie's, London, 22 June 1962 (lot 20).
• Sotheby's, London, 12 April 1967 (lot 51).

Journals 1906-Present

• 'A Whistler from the Webster bequest', The Art Museum, Farnsworth Museum of Art, Bulletin, vol. 1, 1923, p. 18.
• Abbott, Agnes, 'A Whistler from the Webster Bequest', Wellesley College Bulletin, The Art Museum, vol. 2, January 1936, pp. 6-7.

Websites

• Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza website at http://www.museothyssen.org.

Unpublished

• Revillon, Joseph Whistler, Draft Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings of J. McN. Whistler, [ca 1945-1955], Glasgow University Library (cat. no. 231).

Other

• None.