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The Riva, One of the ‘Twelve Etchings,’ or the ‘First Venice Set’

James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artwork Details

The Riva, One of the ‘Twelve Etchings,’ or the ‘First Venice Set’
1879-1880
James Abbott McNeill Whistler
etching and drypoint, printed in dark brown ink on laid paper
7.9 x 11 5/8 in. (20.16 x 29.53 cm)
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker
1955/1.125

Description

Subject Matter:

When Whistler first arrived in Venice, he took rooms in the Palazzo Rezzonico on the Grand Canal. Those rooms proved too expensive and after Otto Henry Bacher and Frank Duveneck arrived in Venice Whistler and Maud moved to rooms near San Biagio at the Casa Jankovitz, just off the Riva degli Schiavoni. Seen in reverse, this view looks up the Riva towards St. Marks, the domes and campanile tower of which are visible at the far right.

Physical Description:

A view of a city along the edge of water sweeps from the foreground towards the right in the distance. Along quays, bridges and promenades can be seen groupoings of people walking and in conversation. Boats populate the water's edge: smaller boats in the foreground, larger multi-masted ships in the distance.

Usage Rights:

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