Toning the Bell
Walter Shirlaw (American, born Scotland, 1838–1909)
1874
View the original$17
Type
Size · in
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Materials & printing
Archival matte paper, 189 g/m² (10.3 mil), sourced from Japan, printed with multicolor water-based inkjet so every brushstroke stays crisp. Framed prints arrive ready to hang in a .75″ ayous-wood frame with an acrylite front. Sized to standard frames by cropping, never stretching — at most about 3% comes off one edge, which isn’t noticeable on most pieces, and we only offer a size when it stays that small.
Shipping & returns
Made to order and delivered in 5–8 business days (2–4 to print, 3–4 in transit). US shipping only for now. Because each print is made for your order, all sales are final — but if it arrives damaged or defective, send us a photo within 14 days and we’ll replace it free. Full policy.
Why is it this affordable?
A thin, flat margin on every piece — just enough to keep the store running. Most of what you pay is the print itself. We only sell sizes that reproduce at full quality, and we don’t mark up the large sizes the way most shops do.
About this work
Like many artists of his generation, Walter Shirlaw furthered his training in Europe, studying at the Royal Academy in Munich. German instruction focused on a dark, painterly realism and was steeped in an astute understanding of aesthetic traditions. In Toning the Bell, executed during his student years and now considered his best-known work, the artist demonstrated an accomplished Munich style, featuring noble peasants, a limited tonal palette, and strong contrasts of light and dark. Prior to his time abroad, Shirlaw had worked in Chicago and helped establish the Chicago Academy of Design, a forerunner to the Art Institute of Chicago.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 101.6 × 76.2 cm (40 × 30 in.)
Museum record · 6 exhibitions
Exhibitions
- Chicago, World's Columbian Exposition, May 1–Oct. 31, 1893.
- Chicago, Lyon and Healy, Apr. 14–30, 1952.
- Evanston, Illinois, Scott Hall, Northwestern University, Apr. 2–9, 1954.
- Art Institute of Chicago, Art at The Time of the Centennial, June 19–Aug. 8, 1976, no catalogue or checklist published.
- Cincinnati Art Museum, Munich & American Realism in the 19th Century, Apr. 20–May 28, 1978; Milwaukee Art Center, July 13–Aug. 27, 1978; Sacramento, E.B. Crocker Art Gallery, Oct. 28–Dec. 10, 1978.
- Berlin, Deutscheshistorisches Museum, VICEVERSA Geman Painters in America–American Painters in German 1813 – 1913, Sept. 19–Dec. 31, 1996.
