Evening star., 1924-07-18
W0RLD-FAMED ART
MAY GO TO BOSTON
Rare Collection Left by Death
of Mrs. Isabella Gardner,
Social Leader.
COLLECTED BY WOMAN
Wealthy Widow Often Mentioned
Leaving Venetian Palace
Home as Museum.
BY the Associated Press.


BOSTON. July 1S.-The opinion that
Boston probably would have as a
public museum the Venetian palace in
the Fens which was the home of Mrs.
Isabella Stewart Gardner. with it's
world famous collection of sculpture.
paintings and tapestries. was eN-
pected today Ivy some who knew her.
Mrs. Gardner died last night in her
S6th year.
Relatives made no statements as to
the disposition OF the museum. but
Mrs. Gardner had said several times
that she wanted RoStonians to enjoy
her art collection when the palace
had ceased TO be her home. 1t was
fptimated that she would probably
leave It in the hands Of trustees to
administer as she directed, keeping
intact the collection and the museum.
Mrs. Gardner was the daughter Of
David Stewart Of New York. from
whom she inherited a fortune. and the
widow OF John Lowell Gardner. a
wealthy Boston resident. She had
been an active leader in Roston So
into retirement decade ago.
Supported Orchestra.
of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
and had assisted many young musi-
clans and artists With the erection
Of her palace, known as k'enway
Court, and the housing there of
priceless art treasures, she became
known all over the world. For a
few days each year she opened the
palace to visitors.
Fenway Court, standing on the
banks of the stream which flows
through the Fenway, was built from
Mrs Gardner's own plans. Its eN-
terror is in the form of a Venetian
palace, with walled courtyard and
a marble Renaissance doorway. Most
of the stones in the structure were
brought from Venice or other places
in Italy, and built into it are trag-
ments of sculpture from many parts
Of Europe.
Within are balconies which orig
inally were part of the Ca d'Ore
Palace in Venice, a bit of Roman
pavement. a chapel from a monastery
in Neneto. a Gothic refectory pulpit
from a French monastery and a
fragment of Arab sculpture from the
Mosque of Bokhara. In addition to
the long gallery in which many of
the paintings are exhibited there are
rooms designated as early Italian,
Raphael, Dutch, Veronese, Titan and
Flemish tapestry.
Has Works of Masters.
Among the artists whose paintings
are hung in Mrs. Gardner's collection
are Raphael. Veronese, Titan, Bot
ticelli, Gentle da Fabriano, Durer,
Rembrandt, Rubens, Felasquez and
Holbein, and of the modern the most
notable are Sargent, Whistler, Hunt
and La Fargo. Three of the most
famous of the paintings are Velas-
quez's Pope Innocent ~" da Fabri-
amos Madonna and Child and
Titian's Rape of Europa"
Mrs. Gardner had shown her in
terest in current affairs through her
large contributions to the financing
of the first aviation meet in America,
conducted under the auspices of
Harvard University at Squantum,
Mass, in 1910, and through her an
nual Offering for many years of cash
prizes to tenement children for the
best displays of flowers in window
boxes and roof gardens, which she
personally inspected.
Leadership Daring.
Mrs. Gardner's life in Boston was
marked by the unusual in many in