June Online Antique & Art Auction
An antique etching on heavy cream wove paper after American artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) titled "Rotherhithe (Thames Set)". The original drypoint etching on cream laid paper was executed in 1860 and published in 1871. Our example here is a later etching reproduced after the original drypoint etching, c. 1910. Signed and dated in the plate lower left. (Not hand-signed). "Rotherhithe" is from the famous ‘Thames Set’, (A Series of Sixteen Etchings of Scenes on the Thames and Other Subjects), 1860. Rotherhithe was made on the balcony of the Angel Inn at Rotherhithe, looking northwest toward the City; the dome of St. Paul’s is visible on the horizon at the far left. Reference: (original drypoint etching) – Kennedy 66; Glasgow 70; Mansfield 66. Sheet size: 16" x 12.25". Image size: 10.75" x 7.75". Minor tone line top outer white margin and lower bottom center margin. A strong impression. Overall very good condition.The River Thames and its surrounding scenery, together with the wharves and warehouses along its banks, were a prime source of inspiration for Whistler throughout his life. His first Thames etchings date from 1858/9 and in 1871 his sixteen finest Thames etchings were published with great financial success. After Whistler was declared bankrupt as a result of his famous libel action against Ruskin, it was through his etchings of the Thames, and later of Venice, that he re-established both his name and his financial stability. The exceptional quality of this especially fine impression places it among the very finest examples of all of WhistlerÂ’s Thames etchings.It is now known that in 1863 Whistler and his brother-in-law, Francis Seymour Haden, were planning to publish a comprehensive series of etched views depicting the Thames from its source to the sea. They projected a total of 48 plates issued in four separate installments, each containing twelve etchings. However, it is clear that Haden had abandoned the project by 1865 and their working relationship came to an abrupt end in 1867. It is clear that this etching must have been considered for inclusion in this project and it is likely that the collapse of this joint venture was one of the factors which led Whistler to issue his own Thames Set.Included in the published Thames Set as Wapping, this plate is usually known by its earlier title, Rotherhithe, under which it was exhibited by Whistler at the Royal Academy in 1862. The figures in the foreground are seated on the balcony of the Angel Inn at Cherry Gardens, Rotherhithe, from which Whistler painted his oils Wapping and The Thames in Ice. At the left of the image, the dome of St. PaulÂ’s Cathedral can be seen through the rigging. One of WhistlerÂ’s finest etchings of any period, Rotherhithe shows his use of meticulous detail, not for its own sake, but to achieve an overall effect. He drew in every brick in the wall at the right of the plate, because only in this way could he achieve the exact ‘colorÂ’ he desired. Rotherhithe has always been the most sought-after of WhistlerÂ’s Thames Set works and is widely regarded as one of his greatest etchings. The largest plate in the set demonstrates to the full the extraordinary abilities of this great master as an original etcher.James Abbott McNeill Whistler (July 11, 1834 – July 17, 1903) was an American artist, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He was averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, and was a leading proponent of the credo "art for art’s sake". His famous signature for his paintings was in the shape of a stylized butterfly possessing a long stinger for a tail. The symbol was apt, for it combined both aspects of his personality: his art is characterized by a subtle delicacy, while his public persona was combative. He found a parallel between painting and music and entitled many of his paintings "arrangements", "harmonies", and "nocturnes", emphasizing the primacy of tonal harmony. His most famous painting is Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (1871), commonly known as ‘Whistler’s Mother’, the revered and often parodied portrait of motherhood. Whistler influenced the art world and the broader culture of his time with his artistic theories and his friendships with leading artists and writers..Please check out Lot #’s 0482 & 0483 The Callcott and the Shayer original art, These are important original antique paintings .
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