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WILLIAM MERRITT CHASE (1849-1916)

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<div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><em>Dancing Girl</em> dates from 1881 to 1882, a dynamic and exploratory moment in William Merritt Chase’s career when he was actively engaging with European subjects and broadening the expressive range of American painting. The work is included in the Chase catalogue raisonne and reflects the artists fascination with Spanish themes, which many American painters of the period encountered firsthand while studying the masters in the Prado and absorbing the culture, costume, and movement of Spain. Although the painting was later mislabeled by an early owner as an Italian street scene, Chase was in Spain during the summer when this work was created, firmly situating it within his Spanish period.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The animated single figure captures a woman in motion, a subject that is notably rare within Chases oeuvre and distinct from the more contemplative female figures that dominate his most valuable works. His auction record painting, <em>I Think I Am Ready Now</em> from around 1883, shares the focus on a single female figure from the same period, underscoring the importance of this moment in his artistic development. The present work also relates closely to important institutional examples, including <em>Carmencita</em> from 1885 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and <em>A Tambourine Player</em> in the Montclair Art Museum, both of which highlight Chases sustained interest in dancers and Spanish costume.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The painting was held on long term loan to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 1906 to 1922, affirming its early institutional recognition. Chase’s Spanish works should be viewed in dialogue with those of John Singer Sargent, whom he met in 1881 while Sargent was developing studies for <em>El Jaleo</em>, as both artists looked to Velázquez for inspiration. <em>Dancing Girl</em> stands as a spirited and uncommon example of Chase portraying a woman at play, capturing movement, rhythm, and cultural immediacy at the height of his European engagement.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div>
<div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><em>Dancing Girl</em> dates from 1881 to 1882, a dynamic and exploratory moment in William Merritt Chase’s career when he was actively engaging with European subjects and broadening the expressive range of American painting. The work is included in the Chase catalogue raisonne and reflects the artists fascination with Spanish themes, which many American painters of the period encountered firsthand while studying the masters in the Prado and absorbing the culture, costume, and movement of Spain. Although the painting was later mislabeled by an early owner as an Italian street scene, Chase was in Spain during the summer when this work was created, firmly situating it within his Spanish period.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The animated single figure captures a woman in motion, a subject that is notably rare within Chases oeuvre and distinct from the more contemplative female figures that dominate his most valuable works. His auction record painting, <em>I Think I Am Ready Now</em> from around 1883, shares the focus on a single female figure from the same period, underscoring the importance of this moment in his artistic development. The present work also relates closely to important institutional examples, including <em>Carmencita</em> from 1885 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and <em>A Tambourine Player</em> in the Montclair Art Museum, both of which highlight Chases sustained interest in dancers and Spanish costume.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The painting was held on long term loan to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 1906 to 1922, affirming its early institutional recognition. Chase’s Spanish works should be viewed in dialogue with those of John Singer Sargent, whom he met in 1881 while Sargent was developing studies for <em>El Jaleo</em>, as both artists looked to Velázquez for inspiration. <em>Dancing Girl</em> stands as a spirited and uncommon example of Chase portraying a woman at play, capturing movement, rhythm, and cultural immediacy at the height of his European engagement.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><em>Dancing Girl</em> dates from 1881 to 1882, a dynamic and exploratory moment in William Merritt Chase’s career when he was actively engaging with European subjects and broadening the expressive range of American painting. The work is included in the Chase catalogue raisonne and reflects the artists fascination with Spanish themes, which many American painters of the period encountered firsthand while studying the masters in the Prado and absorbing the culture, costume, and movement of Spain. Although the painting was later mislabeled by an early owner as an Italian street scene, Chase was in Spain during the summer when this work was created, firmly situating it within his Spanish period.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The animated single figure captures a woman in motion, a subject that is notably rare within Chases oeuvre and distinct from the more contemplative female figures that dominate his most valuable works. His auction record painting, <em>I Think I Am Ready Now</em> from around 1883, shares the focus on a single female figure from the same period, underscoring the importance of this moment in his artistic development. The present work also relates closely to important institutional examples, including <em>Carmencita</em> from 1885 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and <em>A Tambourine Player</em> in the Montclair Art Museum, both of which highlight Chases sustained interest in dancers and Spanish costume.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The painting was held on long term loan to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 1906 to 1922, affirming its early institutional recognition. Chase’s Spanish works should be viewed in dialogue with those of John Singer Sargent, whom he met in 1881 while Sargent was developing studies for <em>El Jaleo</em>, as both artists looked to Velázquez for inspiration. <em>Dancing Girl</em> stands as a spirited and uncommon example of Chase portraying a woman at play, capturing movement, rhythm, and cultural immediacy at the height of his European engagement.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><em>Dancing Girl</em> dates from 1881 to 1882, a dynamic and exploratory moment in William Merritt Chase’s career when he was actively engaging with European subjects and broadening the expressive range of American painting. The work is included in the Chase catalogue raisonne and reflects the artists fascination with Spanish themes, which many American painters of the period encountered firsthand while studying the masters in the Prado and absorbing the culture, costume, and movement of Spain. Although the painting was later mislabeled by an early owner as an Italian street scene, Chase was in Spain during the summer when this work was created, firmly situating it within his Spanish period.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The animated single figure captures a woman in motion, a subject that is notably rare within Chases oeuvre and distinct from the more contemplative female figures that dominate his most valuable works. His auction record painting, <em>I Think I Am Ready Now</em> from around 1883, shares the focus on a single female figure from the same period, underscoring the importance of this moment in his artistic development. The present work also relates closely to important institutional examples, including <em>Carmencita</em> from 1885 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and <em>A Tambourine Player</em> in the Montclair Art Museum, both of which highlight Chases sustained interest in dancers and Spanish costume.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The painting was held on long term loan to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 1906 to 1922, affirming its early institutional recognition. Chase’s Spanish works should be viewed in dialogue with those of John Singer Sargent, whom he met in 1881 while Sargent was developing studies for <em>El Jaleo</em>, as both artists looked to Velázquez for inspiration. <em>Dancing Girl</em> stands as a spirited and uncommon example of Chase portraying a woman at play, capturing movement, rhythm, and cultural immediacy at the height of his European engagement.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><em>Dancing Girl</em> dates from 1881 to 1882, a dynamic and exploratory moment in William Merritt Chase’s career when he was actively engaging with European subjects and broadening the expressive range of American painting. The work is included in the Chase catalogue raisonne and reflects the artists fascination with Spanish themes, which many American painters of the period encountered firsthand while studying the masters in the Prado and absorbing the culture, costume, and movement of Spain. Although the painting was later mislabeled by an early owner as an Italian street scene, Chase was in Spain during the summer when this work was created, firmly situating it within his Spanish period.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The animated single figure captures a woman in motion, a subject that is notably rare within Chases oeuvre and distinct from the more contemplative female figures that dominate his most valuable works. His auction record painting, <em>I Think I Am Ready Now</em> from around 1883, shares the focus on a single female figure from the same period, underscoring the importance of this moment in his artistic development. The present work also relates closely to important institutional examples, including <em>Carmencita</em> from 1885 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and <em>A Tambourine Player</em> in the Montclair Art Museum, both of which highlight Chases sustained interest in dancers and Spanish costume.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The painting was held on long term loan to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 1906 to 1922, affirming its early institutional recognition. Chase’s Spanish works should be viewed in dialogue with those of John Singer Sargent, whom he met in 1881 while Sargent was developing studies for <em>El Jaleo</em>, as both artists looked to Velázquez for inspiration. <em>Dancing Girl</em> stands as a spirited and uncommon example of Chase portraying a woman at play, capturing movement, rhythm, and cultural immediacy at the height of his European engagement.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><em>Dancing Girl</em> dates from 1881 to 1882, a dynamic and exploratory moment in William Merritt Chase’s career when he was actively engaging with European subjects and broadening the expressive range of American painting. The work is included in the Chase catalogue raisonne and reflects the artists fascination with Spanish themes, which many American painters of the period encountered firsthand while studying the masters in the Prado and absorbing the culture, costume, and movement of Spain. Although the painting was later mislabeled by an early owner as an Italian street scene, Chase was in Spain during the summer when this work was created, firmly situating it within his Spanish period.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The animated single figure captures a woman in motion, a subject that is notably rare within Chases oeuvre and distinct from the more contemplative female figures that dominate his most valuable works. His auction record painting, <em>I Think I Am Ready Now</em> from around 1883, shares the focus on a single female figure from the same period, underscoring the importance of this moment in his artistic development. The present work also relates closely to important institutional examples, including <em>Carmencita</em> from 1885 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and <em>A Tambourine Player</em> in the Montclair Art Museum, both of which highlight Chases sustained interest in dancers and Spanish costume.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The painting was held on long term loan to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 1906 to 1922, affirming its early institutional recognition. Chase’s Spanish works should be viewed in dialogue with those of John Singer Sargent, whom he met in 1881 while Sargent was developing studies for <em>El Jaleo</em>, as both artists looked to Velázquez for inspiration. <em>Dancing Girl</em> stands as a spirited and uncommon example of Chase portraying a woman at play, capturing movement, rhythm, and cultural immediacy at the height of his European engagement.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><em>Dancing Girl</em> dates from 1881 to 1882, a dynamic and exploratory moment in William Merritt Chase’s career when he was actively engaging with European subjects and broadening the expressive range of American painting. The work is included in the Chase catalogue raisonne and reflects the artists fascination with Spanish themes, which many American painters of the period encountered firsthand while studying the masters in the Prado and absorbing the culture, costume, and movement of Spain. Although the painting was later mislabeled by an early owner as an Italian street scene, Chase was in Spain during the summer when this work was created, firmly situating it within his Spanish period.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The animated single figure captures a woman in motion, a subject that is notably rare within Chases oeuvre and distinct from the more contemplative female figures that dominate his most valuable works. His auction record painting, <em>I Think I Am Ready Now</em> from around 1883, shares the focus on a single female figure from the same period, underscoring the importance of this moment in his artistic development. The present work also relates closely to important institutional examples, including <em>Carmencita</em> from 1885 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and <em>A Tambourine Player</em> in the Montclair Art Museum, both of which highlight Chases sustained interest in dancers and Spanish costume.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The painting was held on long term loan to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 1906 to 1922, affirming its early institutional recognition. Chase’s Spanish works should be viewed in dialogue with those of John Singer Sargent, whom he met in 1881 while Sargent was developing studies for <em>El Jaleo</em>, as both artists looked to Velázquez for inspiration. <em>Dancing Girl</em> stands as a spirited and uncommon example of Chase portraying a woman at play, capturing movement, rhythm, and cultural immediacy at the height of his European engagement.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><em>Dancing Girl</em> dates from 1881 to 1882, a dynamic and exploratory moment in William Merritt Chase’s career when he was actively engaging with European subjects and broadening the expressive range of American painting. The work is included in the Chase catalogue raisonne and reflects the artists fascination with Spanish themes, which many American painters of the period encountered firsthand while studying the masters in the Prado and absorbing the culture, costume, and movement of Spain. Although the painting was later mislabeled by an early owner as an Italian street scene, Chase was in Spain during the summer when this work was created, firmly situating it within his Spanish period.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The animated single figure captures a woman in motion, a subject that is notably rare within Chases oeuvre and distinct from the more contemplative female figures that dominate his most valuable works. His auction record painting, <em>I Think I Am Ready Now</em> from around 1883, shares the focus on a single female figure from the same period, underscoring the importance of this moment in his artistic development. The present work also relates closely to important institutional examples, including <em>Carmencita</em> from 1885 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and <em>A Tambourine Player</em> in the Montclair Art Museum, both of which highlight Chases sustained interest in dancers and Spanish costume.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div> <br> <br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>The painting was held on long term loan to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 1906 to 1922, affirming its early institutional recognition. Chase’s Spanish works should be viewed in dialogue with those of John Singer Sargent, whom he met in 1881 while Sargent was developing studies for <em>El Jaleo</em>, as both artists looked to Velázquez for inspiration. <em>Dancing Girl</em> stands as a spirited and uncommon example of Chase portraying a woman at play, capturing movement, rhythm, and cultural immediacy at the height of his European engagement.</font></div> <br> <br><div> </div>
Dancing Girl1881-8226 x 15 1/2 in.(66.04 x 39.37 cm) oil on canvas
Provenance
Chase Studio New York, c. 1881
(possibly) at Boston Art Club, 1886
Mrs. W.B. Sewall, Boston, 1906
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (on loan from Mrs. W.B. Sewall, November 2, 1906 to October 30, 1913)
Rufus L. Sewall
Harold I. Sewall and William G. Sewal
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (on loan, October 30, 1913 to July 5, 1922)
Private Collection, Boston
Private Collection, New York
Private Collection, Boston, acquired from the above
Exhibition
Boston, Massachusetts, Boston Art Club, Exhibition of Pictures, ...More...Studies and Sketches by Mr. Wm. M. Chase of New York City, November 18-December 4, 1886, as #57, Spanish Dancing Girl
Literature
Ronald Pisano, William Merritt Chase: Portraits in Oil, New York, 2006, no. OP.99 as "Street Dancer, Italy (Study of A Woman; Girl Dancing)"
...LESS...
Dancing Girl dates from 1881 to 1882, a dynamic and exploratory moment in William Merritt Chase’s career when he was actively engaging with European subjects and broadening the expressive range of American painting. The work is included in the Chase catalogue raisonne and reflects the artists fascination with Spanish themes, which many American painters of the period encountered firsthand while studying the masters in the Prado and absorbing the culture, costume, and movement of Spain. Although the painting was later mislabeled by an early owner as an Italian street scene, Chase was in Spain during the summer when this work was created, firmly situating it within his Spanish period.


 


The animated single figure captures a woman in motion, a subject that is notably rare within Chases oeuvre and distinct from the more contemplative female figures that dominate his most valuable works. His auction record painting, I Think I Am Ready Now from around 1883, shares the focus on a single female figure from the same period, underscoring the importance of this moment in his artistic development. The present work also relates closely to important institutional examples, including Carmencita from 1885 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and A Tambourine Player in the Montclair Art Museum, both of which highlight Chases sustained interest in dancers and Spanish costume.


 


The painting was held on long term loan to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston from 1906 to 1922, affirming its early institutional recognition. Chase’s Spanish works should be viewed in dialogue with those of John Singer Sargent, whom he met in 1881 while Sargent was developing studies for El Jaleo, as both artists looked to Velázquez for inspiration. Dancing Girl stands as a spirited and uncommon example of Chase portraying a woman at play, capturing movement, rhythm, and cultural immediacy at the height of his European engagement.


 
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