William Paxton belonged to the Boston School of artists, which included Frank Benson and Edmund Tarbell. He was strongly influenced by the intimate interiors of seventeenth-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Portraiture and figure studies were Paxton’s specialty. He was also noted for his depictions of upper class life. A consummate draftsman and colorist, Paxton was adept at depicting flesh convincingly. Paxton described his technique, “I let the surfaces flow into one another in a supple envelope of light and paint.”

Glow of Gold, Gleam of Pearl is the masterpiece of Paxton’s early career. A transitional work, it predates most of the elegant domestic scenes for which he is best known. The figure’s silhouette and theatrical pose are reminiscent of Jean Léon Gérôme’s academic paintings, which Paxton would have seen during his training with Gérôme in Paris. Instead of the smooth, idealizing finish characteristic of French nudes, this figure is brushed with a modified impressionist flourish. The model’s ruddy complexion captured as a reflection on the nearby walls give her flesh a sensuous realism.

Lee, Ellen Wardwell, R. H. Ives Gammel, Martin F. Krause, Jr. William McGregor Paxton 1869-1941. Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1979.