Collections

Whistler was among the earliest collectors of oriental blue and white porcelain in Britain. He began collecting it in the early 1860s. Other collectors included the artists Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet and Claude Monet. There was particular rivalry between himself and Dante Gabriel Rossetti as to who could collect the most rare and beautiful examples.

Whistler did not buy blue and white china for display only, but used it at meals to impress his guests, for example, at his famous Sunday breakfasts to which he would invite the elite of the artistic, literary and social worlds of London and Paris. Examples also appeared as props in his paintings.

Unfortunately Whistler’s collection was sold following his bankruptcy in 1879. In the 1880s and 1890s Whistler and his wife Beatrix began collecting blue and white again. Although, its popularity by this time meant that prices were high and it was difficult to pick up such good quality pieces, Whistler and Beatrix managed to built up a significant collection.

Whistler and his wife also collected examples of rare 18th and early 19th century silver, which he bought at silversmiths and jewellers in London, Paris and Amsterdam. Each piece was engraved with his butterfly monogram to mark his ownership. These items were highly prized and admired by dealers and collectors. In 1902 he exhibited some examples at the Fine Art Society in London.
The Hunterian Art Gallery holds over 300 pieces of blue and white china that belonged to Whistler and nearly 350 pieces of silver.