English
Miniature of Lord Byron, 19th century
Opaque watercolor on paper, 12 x 9 cm (4 1/2 x 3 9/16 in.)
This vertical, oval watercolor painting is a bust portrait of the poet Lord Byron, who is shown from the chest up in a three-quarters view to the right. He is light-skinned with short curly dark hair and hazel eyes. He looks directly at the viewer. Byron wears a white shirt with an open collar and ruffled, lace lapels. Over the shirt is a black jacket with large lapels. The background is a muted tone of light brown, allowing the dark hair and jacket, as well as the bright white shirt, to stand out. Byron wears a gold chain with a medallion around his neck. The miniature is set in a large oval wood frame with an inner raised panel and carving along the exterior.
Long Gallery
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner was an avid reader of poetry and kept a copy of Lord Byron’s breakthrough poetic narrative, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, in her personal library. This portrait is exhibited in the Long Gallery.