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

 

M.0800
Riva, Nocturne

Artist: Formerly attributed to James McNeill Whistler
Date: 1880
Collection: Private Collection
Accession Number: none
Medium: chalk
Support: paper
Size: 7 3/4 x 11 7/8" (197 x 302 mm)
Signature: butterfly
Inscription: v.: 'This is a drawing by Whistler./ Sent to William Scott. A.R.I.B.A. Fellow of Royal Society of Painter Etchers of London. Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy, etc. Certified by Emily Boardman. Administrator of the estate of the late William Scott, died April 1918', written in an unknown hand

Riva, Nocturne

Composition

Riva, Nocturne, Private Collection
Riva, Nocturne, Private Collection
Nocturne - The Riva, The Frick Collection
Nocturne - The Riva, The Frick Collection

The composition is closely related to that of Nocturne - The Riva [M.0799]. It is on unusual paper and signed with a rather large butterfly; it is not entirely consistent with Whistler's usual technique.

Last updated: 11th February 2021 by Margaret