James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)

Penthouse of the Public House in St. Ives, Cornwall

Details

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903)
Penthouse of the Public House in St. Ives, Cornwall
watercolor on paper
6½ x 4½ in. (16.5 x 11.4 cm.)

Provenance

The artist.
Walter Sickert, acquired from the above.
Hesslein, acquired from the above, 1905.
Private collection, Portland Oregon, by 1984.
Private collection, Nevada.
Roger Abbott, Cottage Grove, Oregon.
Private collection, Eugene, Oregon, acquired from the above, 1986.

Literature

M.F. MacDonald, James McNeill Whistler: Drawings, Pastels, and Watercolours, A Catalogue Raisonné, New Haven, Connecticut, 1995, pp. 350-51, no. 921, illustrated.

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Lot Essay

According to Dr. Margaret MacDonald, the present work was likely executed by James McNeill Whistler while sitting with his companion and fellow artist, Walter Sickert, at Barnoon Terrace, St. Ives. Hence the broad brushwork, which is characteristic of sketches Whistler completed while outside the studio. This watercolor depicts the Globe Inn, a public house, with figures sitting along Doble's wall, where the locals would gather to gossip. Attached to the Globe Inn was a 'pent-house,' which today would be considered a lean-to.

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