Albert Besnard (Paris, 1849 - 1934, Paris)
Dying Woman (La Mourante), 1885
Etching and roulette on Japanese vellum, 32.1 x 48.6 cm (12 5/8 x 19 1/8 in.)
This etching is done in shades of black and gray against a cream colored background. It depicts a nude dying woman, shown from the thighs up. She is draped horizontally across the arm of an upholstered chair with her head and neck extended. Her eyes are closed into her sunken eye sockets. Her wiry dark hair cascades about her head and falls downward. She has a bony chest with sagging breasts and an extended abdomen. Her slender arms languish at her sides. n the upper left is the monogram in ink, “AB” and handwritten in graphite in the lower right is “Besnard”.
Short Gallery
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.