Anders Zorn, “Portrait of William Ernst Mason”, 1900

Anders Zorn (also known as Anders Leonard Zorn) (1860–1920)

“Portrait of William Ernst Mason”— William Ernst 'Billy' Mason, American senator, 1900

Commentary on the Subject:

The Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa Tongarewa) offers a compelling insight into this portrait: “In her essay 'Anders Zorn's Etched Portraits of American Men, or the Trouble with French Masculinity', Professor Hollis Clayson writes of Zorn's 'signature attainment as a portraitist of prominent American leaders'. She looks closely at this etching, and states: 'During the artist's fourth trip to the United States, [Senator Billy] Mason sat for Zorn in his studio in Chicago in 1900. Placed in a non-specific place, rather than in an office or study, the pudgy [Senator] Mason with hooded eyes is a study in forceful concentration.' She notes 'the intensity of his oblique gaze, his beefy body and [disarranged] hair', while at the same time 'Zorn has given Mason a steady and statesmanlike mien... Mason's worn countenance, pursed lips and the upright axis of the head help to build the impression of a deadly serious man concentrating ferociously on behalf, we presume, of his constituency. Zorn has managed to fashion a likeness that aggregates formality and informality in one body. The generalized setting also makes Mason less specifically American, more of a thoughtful statesman tout court. Zorn's intense Billy Mason [exemplifies] a newly widespread, transnational norm of bourgeois masculinity at the turn of the century that emphasized single-minded immersion in work.' (p. 188).

Mason served for two stints as Senator for Illinois, opposing both the imperialism of President McKinley and the internationalism of President Woodrow Wilson. He was also apparently the originator of a new style of waistcoat that was uniquely [adapted] to stouter figures and very warm weather. While not immediately apparent in Zorn's portrait, the waistcoat is rendered as a wonderful, almost abstract weave of the etching needle's lines.” (https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/39968)

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with subtle plate tone, printed on fine buff-coloured laid paper (featuring a partial Arches watermark), with the artist's signature and date integrated into the plate at the lower left. This specific impression is richly inked, crisp, and beautifully defined; the fine grain of intentional surface markings in the plate remains remarkably strong compared to the standard reference impressions held by the Rijksmuseum and the Art Institute of Chicago. Apart from historical pencil notations in the wide lower margin, the sheet is in near-pristine condition—entirely free of tears, pinholes, folds, abrasions, or foxing.

Note: The fine lettering across the top edge indicates this impression belongs to the celebrated edition published in Loys Delteil's definitive volume, "Le Peintre-Graveur Illustré", Tome IV, Paris, 1909.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 30.9 x 23.1 cm
• Platemark: 19.9 x 13.9 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Upper-left: “Le peintre Graveur illustré / T. IV.”
• Upper-centre: “SENATOR B MASON”
• Upper-right: “A. ZORN SC.”
• Lower left corner: [Artist’s monogram] “Zorn / Chicago 1900”

References:

• Asplund 159 ii/ii; Delteil 158 ii/ii; Hjert & Hjert 107 ii/ii
• Rijksmuseum: Object Number RP-P-1942-551 — https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200406638
• Art Institute of Chicago: Reference Number 1927.1932 —  https://www.artic.edu/artworks/41902/billy-mason

Price & Shipping:

AU$662 (approx. US$463.16 / €412.45 / £346.97), inclusive of worldwide express shipping. Please note that import duties and taxes are the buyer’s responsibility.

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