Who painted Count Robert de Montesquiou, No. 2?

Count Robert de Montesquiou, No. 2 was painted by James McNeill Whistler in 1894.

Where can I see Count Robert de Montesquiou, No. 2?

Count Robert de Montesquiou, No. 2 is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Count Robert de Montesquiou, No. 2?

Count Robert de Montesquiou, No. 2 is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Count Robert de Montesquiou, No. 2

James McNeill Whistler , 1894

Count Robert de Montesquiou, No. 2 is an ink print by the Impressionist artist James McNeill Whistler. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1894, this black lithograph on wove paper depicts the French writer and aesthetic figure Robert de Montesquiou.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1894, this black lithograph on wove paper depicts the French writer and aesthetic figure Robert de Montesquiou. Executed by James McNeill Whistler, the print presents the sitter in a minimal, linear fashion, emphasizing contour over detail.

Subject & Meaning

The portrait captures Montesquiou with his characteristic unruly curls, moustache, long coat, and a hat held in one hand, reflecting his flamboyant personal style. Whistler’s restrained rendering avoids narrative embellishment, aligning with his belief that visual art should exist for its own sake rather than convey a story.

Technique & Style

Whistler employed lithography, a planographic process that uses a smooth stone or metal surface to transfer inked lines onto paper. The medium allows for swift, gestural strokes; here the lines are loose and sketch‑like, giving the image a spontaneous, almost unfinished quality while retaining sufficient definition to identify the figure.

History & Provenance

The work belongs to Whistler’s mature printmaking period, during which he produced numerous lithographs while residing in Britain. As with many of his prints, he signed the piece with his distinctive butterfly monogram, a personal emblem that appears on his output from the 1880s onward.

Context

At the time of its creation, both Whistler and Montesquiou were central figures in the aesthetic movement that championed beauty and refinement over moralizing content. Their friendship and shared artistic ideals are reflected in the portrait’s elegant simplicity, which mirrors the broader late‑Victorian shift toward abstraction and formal harmony.

Artist & collection

Artist

James McNeill Whistler

James Abbott McNeill Whistler was an American painter in oils and watercolor, and printmaker, active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom.