Nocturne: Palaces

James McNeill Whistler

1879–80 · Etching and drypoint; printed in dark brown ink on drum mounted medium weight ivory laid paper. · Drawings and Prints

Nocturne: Palaces is one of the most evocative of Whistler’s Venetian etchings. A gas lantern casts rays of light into the gathering darkness and acts as a focal point for a meeting of palace walls, canals, and a footbridge veiled by atmospheric haze. The delicate streaking of the ink in the upper and lower portions of the sheet creates effects similar to monotype achieved through careful wiping. Whistler trimmed the print to the plate line, leaving a small tab where he inscribed his butterfly signature, establishing the idea of a limited edition. He printed this work three years after returning to London from Venice, for an 1883 exhibition at the Fine Art Society. In 1886, it was published by Dowdeswell and Thibaudeau in Twenty-Six Etchings (the "Second Venice Set").

Artist

James McNeill Whistler

Date

1879–80

Medium

Etching and drypoint; printed in dark brown ink on drum mounted medium weight ivory laid paper.

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of Harold K. Hochschild, 1940