Sir Piercie Shafton Sings (from Sir Walter Scott's "The Monastery") (Recto); Sketch of Female Figure (Verso) (from Sketchbook)
1854–55
Medium
Brown ink and graphite on brown wove paper
Dimensions
5 9/16 x 6 1/8 in. (14.1 x 15.6 cm)
Classification
Drawing
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Margaret C. Buell, Helen L. King, and Sybil A. Walk, 1970
Accession Number
1970.121.56
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-1850s, a young James McNeill Wh, then in his early twenties, captured this lively sketchbook page featuring *Sir Piercie Shafton Sings* on the recto, inspired by Sir Walter Scott's novel *The Monastery*.rawn in brown ink and graphite on modest brown wove paper (measuring just 5 9/16 x 6 1/8 inches), the recto depicts the pompous knight Piercie Shafton in mid-song, his exaggerated pose and flowing attire evoking the romantic flair of Scott's 19th-century tale. On the verso, a quick graphite sketch of a female figure hints at Whistler's fluid exploration of form, showcasing his emergi...
About the Artist
James McNeill Whistler · 1834–1903
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) was an American-born painter and printmaker who became a leading figure in the Aesthetic Movement and pioneer of Tonalism and Japonisme. He revolutionized art by championing "art for art's sake" and treating paintings as visual equivalents of musical compositions, titling works as "arrangements," "harmonies," and "nocturnes" to emphasize formal qualities o...