(Massachusetts/England, 1834-1903)

The Flaming Forge, Ajaccio, circa 1901, signed left with butterfly cypher, drypoint etching on cream laid paper with date watermark "1823", 7-3/8 x 5-7/8 in. (plate) 9-1/8 x 7 in. (sheet); gilt wood frame, 12-1/8 x 10-1/4 in.

Rosalind Birnie Philip, Whistler's sister-in-law, gave the copper plate to the University of Glasgow in 1935. The title and the date are in question as it was not recorded by Whistler. It is thought that the title may have been recorded when the artist returned from Corsica in 1901, or after his death in 1903. It was one of the last plates Whistler etched before his death. It associates by title with a drawing held by the Library of Congress (MacDonald 1995 (1678)), Birnie Philip Bequest, 1958.

hinged to verso of mat, light toning, inscription verso; frame with abrasions