The Canal, Ostend |  Hunterian Art Gallery (46977) | |
| Number: | 352 | |
| Date: | 1887 | |
| Medium: | etching | |
| Size: | 67 x 179 mm | |
| Signed: | butterfly at lower left | |
| Inscribed: | no | |
| Set/Publication: | no | |
| No. of States: | 1 | |
| Known impressions: | 4 | |
| Catalogues: | K.353; M.350; W.248 | |
| Impressions taken from this plate (4) | ||
TECHNIQUE
The plate for The Canal, Ostend, was executed in pure etching.
PRINTING
Two lifetime impressions of The Canal, Ostend have been located. Both are printed in black ink on ivory laid paper, one with a partial Arms of Amsterdam watermark () and one marked with a small 'o' in pencil on the verso, possibly as a mark of approval by Whistler (). Both are trimmed to the platemark, one having a tab whereon Whistler signed his butterfly and 'imp.' to show that he had printed it (). The other, having no tab, is signed and inscribed 'The Canal - Ostende / 1st State' on the verso ().
Nathaniel Sparks (1880-1956) noted printing 'Three proofs ... paper from book', that is, on paper originally owned by Whistler, at the request of Rosalind Birnie Philip (1873-1958) in 1931. 11 One was printed in warm black ink on ivory laid paper
() and another, similar, with 'IH' countermark (). Both are signed 'Nathaniel Sparks. / Imp.' on the verso, and are not trimmed to the platemark, and so are easy to distinguish from Whistler's proofs.
11: 18 June 1931, published in Martin Hopkinson, 'Nathaniel Sparks's Printing of Whistler's Etchings', Print Quarterly, 1999, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 340, 343, 349.