Collections: American Art: The Antiquary Shop

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The Antiquary Shop

William Merritt Chase based this subject on sketches he compiled in Venice, during his first, transformatlve European sojourn, frorn 1872 to 1878. The detalls—various art objects and antiques offered for sale—signal the antiquarian interests that Chase developed while abroad. The Antiquary Shop anticipates Chase's paintings of the lavishly decorated New York studio that he established on his return. Although the array of textiles, metalwork, ceramics, and paintings in this scene represent the kind of objects sought by late nineteenth-century collectors, the figures, dressed In the costume of the Napoleonic era, lend It a historical air.

• Artist: William Merritt Chase, American, 1849-1916
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Place Made: USA
• Dates: 1879
• Dimensions: 26 1/2 x 33 15/16 in. (67.3 x 86.2 cm) Frame: 37 x 44 1/2 in. (94 x 113 cm)
• Signature: Signed lower left: "Wm M Chase--1879"
• Collections: American Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in American Identities: A New Look, Expanding Horizons, 5th Floor
• Accession Number: 13.53
• Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Carll H. de Silver in memory of her husband
• Image: Overall, 13.53_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916). The Antiquary Shop, 1879. Oil on canvas, 26 1/2 x 33 15/16 in. (67.3 x 86.2 cm) Frame: 37 x 44 1/2 in. (94 x 113 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Carll H. de Silver in memory of her husband, 13.53 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 13.53_SL1.jpg)