The Mast

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The Mast

1879-1880 (print); 1881 (publication)

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American (active England), 1834–1903) Published by The Fine Art Society, London

While in Venice, Whistler carried an etching needle and prepared copper plates with him throughout the city so he could spontaneously etch whenever something caught his eye. In this print, Whistler sketched selected elements of a Venetian street, often suggesting forms rather than defining them. Above the women making textiles in the foreground, broken lines and dashes imply a row of facades where two sweeping lines pull the eye to the top of a tall mast where a small sculpture of Saint Mark’s winged lion, the symbol of Venice, stands against an open sky.

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Object Details

Titles:

The Mast
From Twelve Etchings (The First Venice Set)

Date:

1879-1880 (print); 1881 (publication)

Artists:

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American (active England), 1834–1903) Published by The Fine Art Society, London

Medium:

Etching and drypoint, printed in brown ink

Dimensions:

Image and sheet: 13 3/8 x 6 1/2 inches (34 x 16.5 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

Purchased (by exchange) for the William S. Pilling Collection, 1940

Accession Number:

1940-1-1

Geography:

Published in Venice, Italy, Europe

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