Italian, Venice
Bell, 18th century
Silver
This is a silver hand bell with a spiral handle the same length as the body of the bell. The grooves of the spirals are so deep that they appear to have black stripe accents on the concave surfaces between spirals. The handle is topped with a small silver nub. The handle attaches to the body of the bell with two rings around a black stripe. The length of the bell is fluted down to approximately a half-inch from the bell's bottom and decorated with black stripes in the concave surfaces of the fluting. At the bottom half-inch of the bell are three narrow tiers of smooth silver with traces of black.
Tapestry 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.