The Clock Tower - Amboise |  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 () and one on cream laid paper (). Others, printed in brown or dark brown ink include one inscribed '1st State - Early proof' on cream 'antique' (pre-1800) laid paper (), another on ivory laid paper with a partial hunting horn and shield watermark (), one on cream laid () and one on fine semi-transparent ivory laid Japanese paper (). 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 (). 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.