Blue Room
ARMCHA IR (POLTRONA) This armcha ir is typica l of Neoclassica l furniture
VENETO, END OF THE 18TH CENTURY
produced in the Veneto. Painted in pa le blue, PA INTED AND GILDED WALNUT AND CHERRY, 88.8 x 6r.4 x 5r.1 CM japanned with Venetian lacq uer, and outlined with gilding, the armcha ir h as cylindrical, tapering legs which a re fluted. The tablet above each leg is ca rved with a corolla and gilded; these do not appea r on the back of the cha ir. The rectangular back inclines slightly. The pad-
Provena nce: It is not known how Isabella G ardner acqu ired the
ded armrests term inate in scrolls which rest on cur ved supports.
ch a ir, but it was placed in the Blue Room by 1903 (FIG. p. 43).
The legs are carved in wa lnut, the ra ils in cherry. The o rigina l linen straps and suppo rts survive. The blue pa int on the cha ir is largely original, a lthough there a re numerous losses which h ave been retouched.
Literature: Gardner cat. 1935 , p. 27 [Lo mba rd , late 18th century] . F3w4