Object details
Accession number
S30e25
Primary Creator
Italian, Venice
Full title
Angel Gabriel
Creation Date
19th century
Provenance
Said to be from a church demolished by Napoleon. According to legend, the sculpture was then reinstalled atop a bell tower of an unknown rural church, where in 1848 it was struck by two cannon balls during the Italian Revolution.
In the Villa Malaspina, Verona by the second half of the 19th century.
Purchased by Leone Bassani from Spinello Malaspina, Verona for about 1,500 lire in 1877.
With the art dealer Antonio Carrer, Venice by about 1886.
Purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from the art dealer Antonio Carrer (d. 1912), Venice for 4,500 lire on 30 July 1892.
Dimensions
165.1 cm (65 in.)
Display Media
Gilded copper alloy (with traces of green paint on the lilly)
Web Commentary
The gilded image of the Archangel Gabriel perches high atop an orb in the southeast corner of the Gothic Room. Said to be from a church demolished by Napoleon, a historical figure of great interest to Isabella, this work was later struck by cannons during the Italian revolution of 1848. Perhaps intrigued by this tale, Isabella chose to display him with the gaping hole still clearly visible in his chest rather than having him restored.
Permanent Gallery Location
Gothic Room
Bibliography
Catalogue. Fenway Court. (Boston, 1925), p. 32. (as Veneto, 17th century)
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 264. (as Venetian, 16th century)
Cornelius C. Vermeule III et al. Sculpture in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1977), p. 157, no. 198. (as Italian, 19th century)
Rights and reproductions
The use of images, text, and all other media found on this website is limited. Please review Rights and Reproductions for details.
