Dennis Miller Bunker (Garden City, New York, 1861 - 1890, Boston)
Marble Torso of a Woman, about 1878
Oil on canvas, 43 x 27 cm (16 15/16 x 10 5/8 in.)
This oil painting depicts a small, broken, classical, white, marble figure. The sculpture rests on a crumpled length of teal colored fabric that stretches nearly the entire canvas. The sculpture shows the torso with its left hip raised and its body tilted slightly to the right. A length of drapery falls over its upper right arm. The sculpture is positioned a little below and to the right of center and takes up only about a quarter of the painting. The rest of the painting emphasizes the large swath of teal satin fabric. It lies in an irregular, multi-creased, and folded mound. One edge of a table and a bit of the goldish green wall behind it is visible in the upper left corner of the painting.
Blue Room
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.