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Becquet

Print
1859 (etched)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Following the months spent in Wapping at work on his Thames Set etchings, Whistler returned to Paris for a few months towards the end of 1859. There he experimented with and quickly mastered the exacting technique of drypoint. This method of drawing on an unprepared etching plate with a sharp tool allows the artist to create delicate and spontaneous marks which print with a richness unobtainable by conventional etching. Influenced by the portraits of Van Dyck and Rembrandt, Whistler created a group of prints of Bohemian friends such as the flamboyant cellist, Becquet.


Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • Becquet (generic title)
  • The Fiddler (generic title)
  • The Thames Set (series title)
Materials and techniques
Etching on paper
Brief description
Etching by James Whistler, 'Becquet' or 'The Fiddler' from the Thames Set; etched 1859.
Physical description
Etching by James Whistler, ‘Becquet’ or ‘The Fiddler’ from the Thames Set; etched ca. 1859, early impression, cut by the artist. Later impressions of the whole plate were printed and issued in 1871 as one of the ‘Sixteen Etchings of Scenes on the Thames, and Other Subjects,’ by Ellis and Green, 32 King Street, Covent Garden, in editions of one hundred. Portrait of a musician, shown full-face, seated holding a cello between his legs.
Dimensions
  • Height: 13cm
  • Width: 10.5cm
Cut by the artist
Style
Object history
W.48, 1st state; K.52, 1st state.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Following the months spent in Wapping at work on his Thames Set etchings, Whistler returned to Paris for a few months towards the end of 1859. There he experimented with and quickly mastered the exacting technique of drypoint. This method of drawing on an unprepared etching plate with a sharp tool allows the artist to create delicate and spontaneous marks which print with a richness unobtainable by conventional etching. Influenced by the portraits of Van Dyck and Rembrandt, Whistler created a group of prints of Bohemian friends such as the flamboyant cellist, Becquet.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Wedmore, Frederick. Whistler's Etchings, A Study and a Catalogue. London: Colnaghi & Co, 1899. No.48, 1st state.
  • Kennedy, Edward G. The Etched Work of Whistler. San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 1978. No.52, 1st state.
Collection
Accession number
19801

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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