Who doesn’t love eccentric millionaires? Isabella Stewart-Gardiner was a 19th century Boston socialite and patron of the arts. She loved to travel and collected many works of art. When her house became too small to house her treasures, she commissioned the building of the Isabella Stewart-Gardiner museum which lies about a block behind the Museum of Fine Arts in the back bay area of Boston.

It was a beautiful day for visiting this hodgepodge of paintings, tapestries, and statuary. Probably the most interesting area of the museum was the three story glass covered courtyard in the middle of the building. The sound of the water splashing in the fountain pond gave the place a very tranquil feeling despite the hundreds of visitors moving throughout the building. I was only allowed to take pictures in the courtyard which is why this post doesn’t have many photos.

Most of the museum is rather dark, and the art reflects the collector’s personal taste.  Before the advent of public museums, most masterworks were held in private collections such as this. Unlike public museums, the collection does not change. In fact, Mrs. Gardiner stipulated in her will that the collection should not undergo any significant changes. That would be part of the reason that there are empty frames on the third level. The art in these frames was stolen in 1990. Wikipedia says the frames still hang as homage to the lost art and a placeholder for their return.  I think they just add to the eccentricity of the place.

Janet and I also wandered through the modern additions which included a working greenhouse for the flowers in the courtyard, a gift shop, and a concert hall. Of course I had to check out the acoustics in this theater built with the stage in the center of the audience.

This experience will be archived in my memory in that large file cabinet Janet often refers to as “totally useless information.” Who knows, maybe I have a destiny to be a Jeopardy contestant. Until then, I’ll keep learning.

 

 

 

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller