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varnishing day

American  

noun

  1. vernissage.


varnishing day British  

noun

  1. (at an exhibition of paintings) the day before the opening when artists may varnish or retouch their pictures after they have been hung

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of varnishing day

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Last week this melon was cut and on a crowded varnishing day the 112th exhibition of the National Academy of Design opened.

From Time Magazine Archive

Daudet has described a Salon on varnishing day with his accustomed facile, febrile skill; you feel that it comes from Goncourt and Zola.

From Promenades of an Impressionist by Huneker, James

Here before our eyes was an unspoiled sample of what the world must have looked like on varnishing day.

From The Cruise of the Kawa by Chappell, George S. (George Shepard)

Ever since I first became an exhibitor at Burlington House, I have made it a rule to studiously avoid visiting the gallery after varnishing day.

From Pharos, The Egyptian A Romance by Boothby, Guy

None of those discerning critics who stalk the galleries on varnishing day could have passed a canvas such as this without bending their rusty knees at least one creak in humble reverence.

From Sunlight Patch by Harris, Credo Fitch

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