Renderings of Isabella

This was done by Anders Zorn in 1894. Zorn painted this of Gardner at the Palazzo Barbaro in Venice, where she frequently stayed and entertained high-profile and famous figures of the time. 

This was painted by Dennis Miller Bunker in 1889. It is a rendition of Gardner at the annual Boston Artists' Festival Ball. 

These paintings are placed in various parts of the museum, but mostly in the Short Gallery, which holds many of the smaller and less sensationalist paintings and etchings. There are countless other pencil drawings and sketches of Isabella Stewart Gardner and it would be incredibly difficult work to collect all the various pieces of artwork that hold her as the subject in some way or another. However, these paintings are the most well-known pieces of Gardner. 

Each of the four paintings displayed here show Gardner in different stages of her youth. Anders Zorn, for example, shows Gardner as exuberant and vibrant in Venice, throwing her arms open as if welcoming whoever's eyes happen to fall onto the painting. Bunker's painting shows Gardner as dignified and posed as if she were American royalty. Her gown is bright and colorful, accompanied by pearls draped on her neck. She is relaxed, calm, and looking directly at the viewer. It's not quite defiance in her eye, but confidence. She is unfazed. 

Martin Mower painted this in 1917. It depicts Gardner reading a book and dressed elegantly. 

This was done by Thomas Sully in 1837. It was given to Isabella by her father, David Stewart. This was painted before Isabella married Jack Gardner. It can be found in the Short Gallery of the ISG Museum now. 

Martin Mower depicts Gardner reading a book, dressed elegantly in black. She is seemingly unaware of the painter, the viewer. She, once again though shown in a different way, unfazed. Sully’s Isabella Tod Stewart is young, unmarried. She is wearing black but her head is covered by an elegant lace hat. She stares directly out form the painting, not smiling but not frowning. She is the picture of 19th century grace, but there is no touch of apprehension or anxiety, she is not fragile. 

The striking thing about all these paintings is the sense that Isabella Stewart Gardner knew exactly who she was, and exactly how she was to be portrayed. Her wealth is an afterthought, her personality is evident in each of these paintings, even so many years after her death. 

There are no labels in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, everything is arranged as if it were still a home. But the paintings of Gardner stand out, perhaps because of their placement or perhaps because of the unabashed performance of the self in each work. You could miss it all, if you don’t know where to look, or who to look for. But despite the lack of labels and the overwhelming amount of artwork to take in, Gardner still stands, watching over her home and being watched by others. These great acts of observation extend past death and life, and Gardner becomes part of the unnameable beauty of it all.