Toning the Bell
Walter Shirlaw (American, born Scotland, 1838–1909)
1874
View the original$15
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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.
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A flat 20% margin — just enough to keep the store running. 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.
- Artist
- Walter Shirlaw (American, born Scotland, 1838–1909)
- Date
- 1874
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Origin
- Munich
- Style
- Realism
- Collection
- Arts of the Americas
- Reference
- 1938.1280 · Art Institute of Chicago