Terms and conditions of use
The Gallery of HMS Calcutta (Souvenir of a ball on shipboard)
(La galerie du "Calcutta" (Souvenir d'un bal à bord))
1876
Medium
drypoint
Measurements
26.3 × 36.2 cm (image and plate) 31.0 × 41.4 cm (support)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1927
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
After moving to England in 1871, French-born artist James Tissot found ample inspiration in nautical settings. This print, based on a painting of the same name, depicts two women and a gentleman at a shipboard gala in Portsmouth. The coy expressions of the women suggest that there is an unspoken rivalry between these two prospective love interests. Tissot frequently explored love triangles in his work, a theme that allowed him to examine the subtle dynamics of flirtation and desire. Through his use of curved and diagonal lines, the artist emphasises the central trio’s unstable relationship to one another.
Artwork Details
Catalogue/s Raisonné
Wentworth 25; Beraldi 18
Inscription
stamped in red ink l.l.: JJT (monogram)
printed in ink (in image) u.r.: J. J. Tissot / 1876
Accession Number
3670-3
Departments
International Prints / International Prints and Drawings
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Joe White Bequest