Capri Lace Maker1884 · Study 1915.76

Context from the museum

George Butler studied with the American artist Thomas Hicks in New York City before going to Paris in 1859 to study with Thomas Couture, whose most famous pupils included Édouard Manet and Puvis de Chavannes. He returned to the United States and served in the Union Army during the Civil War, at which point he lost his right arm. He went to Italy in 1875, where he remained for a number of years. During his stay abroad, Butler painted Capri Lace Maker . Although to a contemporary viewer this work may seem to be a fairly traditional, conservative composition, the bravura of the brushwork and the thick layers of pigment mark the European influence on Butler's style. An accomplished academic painter, Butler was elected to the National Academy of Design in 1873 and exhibited this work there in 1884. A gift of the artist's daughter, Capri Lace Maker was the first painting to enter the museum's collection on February 2, 1915.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Capri Lace Maker is 84.5 cm wide and 160 cm high, equivalent to approximately 33.3 × 63.0 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.53:1. The rectangular bounding area is 1.35 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 28.2% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 107.8 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Capri Lace Maker in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 84.5 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?