This room introduces Isabella Gardner’s love of Italy and of Italian Renaissance art, which became the core of her collection. Created mainly in the 14th and 15th centuries, the paintings exhibited here demonstrate two aspects of the Early Renaissance: religious works and images showing the period’s new interest in ancient mythology. Surrounding the paintings are furniture and other decorative objects created in many different periods and cultures reflecting interests sparked by Gardner’s travels to Europe, Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.