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The Antiquary Shop

William Merritt Chase

American Art

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.

MEDIUM Oil on canvas
  • Place Made: United States
  • DATES 1879
    DIMENSIONS 26 1/2 x 33 15/16 in. (67.3 x 86.2 cm) frame: 37 × 44 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (11.4 × 94 × 113 cm)  (show scale)
    SIGNATURE Signed lower left: "Wm M Chase--1879"
    COLLECTIONS American Art
    ACCESSION NUMBER 13.53
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Mrs. Carll H. de Silver in memory of her husband
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION 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). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Carll H. de Silver in memory of her husband, 13.53 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 13.53_SL1.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 13.53_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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