UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

Etchings         Institutions search term: grolier club

Shipping, Venice

Impression: Freer Gallery of Art
Freer Gallery of Art
(1908.8)
Number: 217
Date: 1879/1880
Medium: etching
Size: 301 x 206 mm
Signed: no
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 2
Known impressions: 2
Catalogues: K.229; M.226
Impressions taken from this plate  (2)

KEYWORD

barge, boat, port, lagoon, people, quay, sailing ship, ship.

TITLE

Whistler's original title is not known. Examples of the only known titles are given below:


'Shipping - Venice' (1904, Grolier). 1
'Shipping, Venice' (1909, Howard Mansfield (1849-1938)). 2

Mansfield's version 'Shipping, Venice' is the generally accepted title.

1: New York 1904a (cat. no. 207).

2: Mansfield 1909 (cat. no. 226).

DESCRIPTION

The quayside runs from lower left to above centre right. In the distance at right are several sailing barges and small boats by the quayside, and three men standing on the quay. In the Giudecca canal, near the centre, is a ship under full sail. To right of this are two sailing boats, and to left, small boats with bare masts. In the distance are the quayside buildings of the Giudecca, with, at far left, boats by the quay. The church of San Giorgio is visible above the buildings.

SITE

A view from the Zattere, Venice, looking across the Giudecca canal to the island of the Giudecca and beyond it, to San Giorgio. 3 It is in reverse as usual (Whistler having drawn on site on the copper plate).

3: Grieve 2000 , p. 80.