The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler
YMSM 146
Symphony in Silver and Grey
Date
Symphony in Silver and Grey probably dated from the late 1860s or 1870s. 1
According to Walker, in 1894 'a delightful symphony in "silver and grey" by Whistler' was owned by the art dealer William Connal, jr (1819-1898), of Glasgow, and later of London. 2
The date suggested here, which is basically a wild guess, is inspired by the title. As with Symphony in Grey and Gold y143, it is not clear if it was a figure or landscape subject. A figure composition was more likely to date from the 1860s and a landscape (an evening scene on the Thames for instance) was more likely to date from the late 1860s or early 1870s.
Images
Symphony in Silver and Grey, Whereabouts unknown
Subject
Titles
Only one title has been suggested:
- 'symphony in "silver and grey" ' (1894, Walker). 3
- 'Symphony in Silver and Grey' (1908, Christie's). 4
- 'Symphony in Silver and Grey' (1980, YMSM). 5
Description
The title suggests a Thames riverscape but given the nature of Connal's collection (works by Albert Joseph Moore (1841-1893), the Pre-Raphaelites, etc.) a figure subject cannot be excluded.
Site
Possibly a Thames scene.
Technique
Technique
Unknown.
Conservation History
Unknown.
Frame
Unknown.
History
Provenance
- By 1894: William Connal, jr (1819-1898), Glasgow and London;
- 1908: sold at auction, Christie's, London, 14 March 1908 (lot 84) as 'Symphony in Silver and Grey', and bought by Gooden & Fox, London dealers, for John A. Harvey (d. 1927), Hampstead.
According to Walker, in 1894 'a delightful symphony in "silver and grey" by Whistler' was owned by William Connal, Jr., a dealer and collector in Glasgow, later living in London. It was auctioned by him at Christie's on 14 March 1908 (lot 84) as 'Symphony in Silver and Grey' (17 x 29½"), and bought by Gooden & Fox for £50.8.0, on behalf of John A. Harvey. 6 It did not appear in any of the sales of the Harvey collection before or after his death in 1927. 7
Exhibitions
- None known.
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. 146) as 'Symphony in Silver and Grey'.
Authored by Whistler
- None.
Catalogues 1855-1905
- None.
Journals 1855-1905
- None.
Monographs
- None.
Books, General
- None.
Catalogues 1906-Present
SALE:
- Christie's, London, 14 March 1908 (lot 84) as 'Symphony in Silver and Grey'.
Journals 1906-Present
- Walker, Robert, ‘Private Picture Collections in Glasgow and the West of Scotland, III: The Collection of Mr William Connal, Jun.’, Magazine of Art, vol. 17, 1894, pp. 335-41, 361, at p. 341.
Websites
- None.
Unpublished
- Revillon, Joseph Whistler, Draft Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings of J. McN. Whistler, [ca 1945-1955], Glasgow University Library (cat. no. 57) 'Symphony in silver and grey'.
Other
- None.
Notes:
1: YMSM 1980 [more] (cat. no. 146).
2: R. Walker 1894 [more], at p. 341.
3: R. Walker 1894 [more], at p. 341.
4: Christie's, London, 14 March 1908 (lot 84).
5: YMSM 1980 [more] (cat. no. 146).
6: R. Walker 1894 [more], at p. 341. Letter from Gooden & Fox to J. W. Revillon, 20 December 1945, GUL WPP file.
7: It is just possible (despite the discrepancy in the size) that it was the painting described by The Scotsman as 'Dawn, Battersea: a symphony in grey and silver', 23 ½ x 17 ½", sold at auction, Christie's, London, 12 June 1936, for £81.18.0; according to the Western Daily Press this was bought by 'Sir Alec Martin for an English collector'. Anon., 'The London Salerooms', The Scotsman, Edinburgh, 13 June 1936, p. 17. Anon., 'Whistler's Pictures auctioned', Western Daily Press, 13 June 1936. Sir Alec Martin (1884-1971, was an auctioneer, Managing Director of Christies, and Chairman of the National Art Collections Fund. However, according to Art Prices Current, vol. 15, 1935-1936, no. 4318, this painting had belonged to L. O'Malley (fl. 1900/1910), and was bought by 'Russell'. This is not a very convincing provenance.