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James McNeill Whistler, 'The Princess from the Land of Porcelain', 1865

 


Whistler constructs a world of hedonism, perfectly appropriate for his Peacock Room, in which this painting was originally placed. Depicting a full-length figure, decadently dressed in a sumptuous kimono flowing down her elegant, elongated frame, the artist captures the movements of Aestheticism and art for art's sake popular during the mid nineteenth century, alongside an interest in 'exotic' far Eastern cultures which lead to the rise of Japonisme in artistic depictions. 

Currently, the work hangs above the fireplace in the Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington. However, originally it sat in London, in a space which Whistler constructed with the help of Thomas Jeckyll, for the mansion owned by shipping magnate Frederick Leyland. However, Whistler's artistic eye dominated the project, and as costs rose and designs became more gold, sumptuous and elaborate, Leyland was increasingly irritable in correspondence, famously telling Whistler that he would be 'horse-whipped' if he ever appeared in the house again following the completion of work. Despite this, Leyland kept all the decoration which Whistler produced, and the portrait of this particular figure was in his hands until he died in 1892. The piece was displayed at the Paris Salon, and it was looked after by Rossetti whilst Whistler was travelling in South America. It represents Whistler's turn towards Japonisme in the 1860s, alongside a focus on portraiture, predating his more famous works including the portrait of his mother, Falling Rocket and various pieces which form his Nocturnes series. 

The elegant figure was modelled on Christine Spartali, who was the sister of the second generation Pre-Raphaelite artist Marie Spartali-Stillman. She looks beyond a viewer, slightly tuned away so we only catch a glimpse of one half of her face, with porcelain features standing out against thick dark hair and red lips, which at the same time, match up to the points of red throughout the canvas: her sash, the decoration on her kimono, as well as the folding screen in the background of the work. Despite turning away from us, the figure still presents herself to the viewer, which is enhanced by the full-length illustration, stretching out her arms and hands as if to show off her dress even more. The way that the draperies slip of her shoulders and spill out around her feet also increases this. Meanwhile, each item has been carefully placed in the background by Whistler, to form a display of exotic objects - it has been suggested that the folding screen was one he owned, whilst the figure gracefully holds a fan with a decorative flower motif, standing on a blue and white carpet and in front of a porcelain vase which also holds the same colour palette. It is certainly a portrait of a beautiful, decadently dressed woman, but it is also a judiciously and deliberately constructed canvas, where objects and dress do have meaning. It calls into question the true potential of 'art for art's sake' as a category to define works created during the mid nineteenth century, and highlights the painting's value beyond simply being a beautiful object for a viewer to peruse and enjoy. 

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