A Traveler's Collection by Aoife Hughes

A Traveler's Collection by Aoife Hughes

Cloister garden at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

         An idyllic garden encompassed by great rooms complete with ornate decorations and an extensive collection of artwork is one of the last things one would expect to find amongst the hustle and bustle of Fenway. Like a 15^th century Venetian Palace, the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, or Fenway Court, as it was known during the founder’s life, is an incredible home to more than 2,500 pieces of artwork collected by Isabella Stewart Gardener during her lifetime in the early 20^th century. While making your way through the three floors and plethora of rooms in the museum, it is easy to find yourself questioning the choices and placement of every artwork, seeing as though nothing has been moved since Gardner placed them, respecting her wishes in her will. Some are more obvious choices; the Raphael room on the second floor is filled with renaissance artwork of mothers and children, possibly an expression of her struggle following the death of her two-year-old son when she was in her early twenties. The Gothic Room, on the third floor, is home to an oil painting portrait of Gardner herself, painted by John S. Sargent in the late 1880s.

           Walking around the palace it is difficult to remember that this is simply one persons collection. Owning a post-revolutionary French flag given to Napoleon’s personal guard which hangs in the short gallery is quite a personal accomplishment, even for Gardener, especially since it survived an attempted theft during the infamous 1990 robbery. The museum is an incredible place to spend time, and it truly changed my debatably closed minded opinion on museums.