UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

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The Clock Tower - Amboise

Impression: Hunterian Art Gallery
Hunterian Art Gallery
(46992)
Number: 429
Date: 1888
Medium: etching and drypoint
Size: 178 x 127 mm
Signed: butterfly at left
Inscribed: no
Set/Publication: no
No. of States: 1
Known impressions: 10
Catalogues: K.394; M.394
Impressions taken from this plate  (10)

TECHNIQUE

This is mainly etching, with a few areas of detail and shadow added in drypoint.

PRINTING

Several impressions were printed in black ink, one, for example, on Japanese paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K3940102) and one on cream laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K3940111). Others, printed in brown or dark brown ink include one inscribed '1st State - Early proof' on cream 'antique' (pre-1800) laid paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K3940z01), another on ivory laid paper with a partial hunting horn and shield watermark (Graphic with a link to impression #K3940103), one on cream laid (Graphic with a link to impression #K3940z01) and one on fine semi-transparent ivory laid Japanese paper (Graphic with a link to impression #K3940106). They are trimmed to the platemark and signed with a butterfly and 'imp.' on the tab to show that they were printed by Whistler.
In addition three impressions were printed by Nathaniel Sparks (1880-1956) for Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958) in 1931. 12 They were printed on Whistler's own paper. Only one of these has been located. It was printed black ink on cream laid paper with a broad margin and it was signed 'Nathaniel Sparks - / Imp -' on the verso in pencil, so that it could not be confused with Whistler's impressions (Graphic with a link to impression #K3940104). It is possible the others were destroyed.

12: Martin Hopkinson, 'Nathaniel Sparks's Printing of Whistler's Etchings', Print Quarterly, 1999, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 340-341, 349.