The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler
M.0668
r.: Demon; v.: Young woman
Date
r.: Demon; v.: Young woman date from 1878.
r.: Demon, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute
v.: Young woman, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute
The sketches are fully catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 668).
Images
r.: Demon, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute
v.: Young woman, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute
Subject
Sitter
r.: Demon, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute
The demon was probably an actor, seen on visits by Whistler and friends to see Henry James Byron's burlesque Little Dr Faust, at the Gaiety Theatre in January 1878. Whistler drew and painted several subjects related to these performances (r.: Masked girl wearing a head-dress skipping; v.: Dancer m0663, Souvenir of the Gaiety m0664, r.: Nellie Farren; v.: Demon m0665, r.: Demon; v.: Two sketches of Nellie Farren m0666, and Harmony in Blue: The Duet y196.
Technique
Conservation History
r.: Demon, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute
v.: Young woman, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute
The sheet was torn by the artist and intended for destruction, but retrieved and repaired by Thomas Way
History
Provenance
- 1870s: torn by the artist and intended for destruction, but retrieved by Thomas Way (1837-1915) or his son Thomas Robert Way (1861-1913), London;
- ca 1913: acquired from Way or, after his death, from his widow, by Pickford Robert Waller (1849-1930);
- 1930: bequeathed to his daughter, Sybil Christina Waller (1882-1973);
- 1965: sold at auction, Christie's, London, 12 November 1965 (lot unknown) and bought by Knoedler's, New York dealers (#WCA 3549 #5);
- 1969: bought by the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute on 19 May.
Exhibitions
It has not been exhibited.
Bibliography
Catalogues Raisonnés
- MacDonald, Margaret F., James McNeill Whistler. Drawings, Pastels and Watercolours. A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven and London, 1995 (cat. no. 668) as 'r.: Demon; v.: Young woman'.