Anders Zorn (Mora, 1860 - 1920, Mora)
Model Reading, 1910
Etching on laid paper, 34.9 x 21.6 cm (13 3/4 x 8 1/2 in.)
This small vertical etching in black ink on off-white paper shows a nude person with light skin, seated on a bed with a sagging mattress. They have a Rubenesque body, with full hips, rotund bosom and hair shaped in a soft, low Pompadour. Their body is turned slightly to our left and they are looking down at an object that they are holding and reading, which looks like an open book or newspaper. Most of the etching is dark, with thick lines and cross-hatching, but light appears to stream over the person’s left shoulder and hip and adjacent bedding, as well as to brighten the wall behind their arms. The etching is signed in pencil under its lower right margin.
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.