Accession Number
1954/1.439

Title
The Pantheon, from the Terrace of the Luxembourg Gardens

Artist(s)
James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1893

Medium & Support
transfer lithograph with stumping on laid paper

Dimensions
11 3/16 x 7 9/16 in. (28.4 x 19.1 cm);11 3/16 x 7 9/16 in. (28.4 x 19.1 cm);19 5/16 x 14 3/8 in. (49 x 36.5 cm)

Credit Line
Bequest of Margaret Watson Parker

Subject matter
During the Whistlers' short sojourn in Paris, Whistler frequently depicted scenes in the Luxembourg Gardens in both lithographs and, more rarely, in etchings. He used the architecture of the French formal garden to organize his compositions. Here he employed the balustrade, the dome of the Pantheon, and the urn that aligns with the dome to create a grid to anchor his figures. These prints invariably have an intimate character despite their public setting.

Physical Description
The balustrade of a public park walkway seen at a slight distance acts as a foil for several figures grouped in front of the balustrade. To the left, two women stand talking while a child, with her back facing the viewer looks between the balusters towards the dome of a building in the distance beyond some trees. Too the right of the composition, a seated man and a woman shown in profile are grouped. Two ornamental urns decorate the balustrade.

Primary Object Classification
Print

Collection Area
Western

Rights
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Keywords
Luxembourg Gardens
child
fences
gardens
man
seated
standing
terraces
trees
woman