after Robert Fulton (Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1765 - 1815, New York)
Mary, Queen of Scots Under Confinement, 1793
Mezzotint, 52.7 x 40.6 cm (20 3/4 x 16 in.)
This horizontal print is rendered in shades of black, gray, and white. Mary Queen of Scots sits on the right in a chair with a high pointed back and a pinecone-shaped finial on its right corner. Her dark gray dress is simple and decorated with lace cuffs and a high lace collar. The square cut neckline of her dress is gathered with a tied tassel at her bosom. Mary wears a necklace of beads with a crucifix pendant. A few strands of similar beads are woven into the waves of her hair, gathered on top of her head. Her large, heavy-lidded eyes focus on the objects on the small table behind the arch on the left. The table, draped with cloth, holds an open book, and above the book a large crucifix hangs at an angle from the wall. Between Mary and the table, an arched and barred window on the back wall reveals a full moon above the treetops.
Yellow 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.