Walter Greaves

Walter T. Spencer, London;
Carl B. Spitzer, by whom presented to the Toledo Museum of Art where it remained until 2007;
Sotheby's, New York, 18 April 2007, lot 179;
Private collection

'Portrait of Whistler', Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, IV, November 1910, illustrated;
The Toledo Museum of Art, European Paintings, Toledo, 1976, pp. 70-71, illustrated plate 337

STRUCTURE The canvas has been relined. There are one or two indentations to the canvas in the upper and lower left corners. There are a few isolated very minor spots of paint separation to the figures jacket. Otherwise the surface appears in generally good overall condition. ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT UV reveals a few small spots of retouching along the edges and in the lower right corner. There are isolated minor cosmetic flecked retouchings to places in the background, and on the figure's face, hat, and jacket. FRAME Held in a gilt plaster frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5718 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Walter Greaves' relationship with Whistler was fraught with intrigue, marked by scandal, and characterized by adoration and hero worship. Walter and his brother Henry met Whistler in 1863, when Whistler fortuitously became their neighbour at Lindsey Row in Chelsea. The brothers became Whistler's studio assistants, buying his art supplies and preparing his canvases and colours. They became devoted followers for over fifteen years, and as Gordon Fleming points out, 'Whistler's domination over the brothers was total. They even tried to look like him. They wore hats, ties and gloves like his, and they grew little moustaches' (James Abbott McNeill Whistler: A Life, St Martin's, New York, 1991, p.100).

Under Whistler's influence, Greaves' tight naive style yielded to a looser, brushier technique evident in the present work, which is a psychologically powerful homage to his mentor. By sheer force of personality Whistler emerges from the dark background. The exaggerated air of his confrontational and unapologetic gaze, dramatically half shrouded in darkness, aptly communicates his infamous and unrelenting egoism.