The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Reclining lady dates from 1856, and is signed and dated.

Reclining lady, private collection

It is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 214). This entry has been revised.

Images

Subject

Description

Reclining lady, private collection

Sotheby's quotes a letter from M. F. MacDonald dated 1993:

"[Whistler's] model, in a tight waisted dress, is lying on a sofa, turning away from the artist, with her right hand raised to her head and the other trailing down. Pentimenti make it difficult to tell if her trailing hand is clenched or if she is holding something, perhaps a cigarette. The pose, though intimate, with a bohemian abandonment of formality, is certainly not relaxed: it might suggest weariness.

The costume is similar to that of the young woman in one of Whistler's earliest etchings Au Sixième. The model for both may be Whistler's passionate 'grisette', the 'modiste' Eloïse, known as 'Fumette.' " ¹

Sitter

Possibly Eloise ('Fumette') (fl. 1840-1858).

Technique

Technique

Reclining lady, private collection

Sotheby's (2007) quotes information from M. F. MacDonald as follows:

"Margaret MacDonald, in a letter dated 1993, writes …

As one of the only two extant drawings dated 1856, it is important in establishing the evolution of Whistler's style and technique. The pen lines are fine, with outlines modified and softened by delicately repeated lines, the shape of the dress and cushions by bold scribbles. " ²

History

Provenance

• 1856/1867: acquired, probably from Whistler, by Etienne Joseph Théophile Thoré (1807-1869);
• 1869-1990s: passed by family descent to a private collection;
• Date unknown: sold to an unknown buyer.
• 2007: sold at auction, Sotheby's, New York, 28 November 2007 (lot 4, repr.).

Thoré, an influential writer and critic, was a friend of Courbet and an ardent exponent of Realism in his articles and his Salon Reviews. For his part in the 1848 Revolution, Thoré was condemned to death and fled to Brussels where he lived until after the amnesty of 1859. In 1867 Thoré contacted Whistler through Edouard Manet (1832-1883), and offered to buy At the Piano y024, but it was in the hands of Seymour Haden.

Reclining Lady was probably given to Thoré at some time between 1859 and 1867, in recognition of Thoré's praise of Whistler and his desire to acquire some of his works.

Exhibitions

No exhibitions are known.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 214) as 'Reclining lady'.

Catalogues 1906-Present

SALE:

• Sotheby's, New York, 28 November 2007 (lot 4, repr.).