Stout Lecture
Investigating the Brushstrokes: In Defense of Copies
Thursday
May 21, 2026
7 - 8:30 pm
Calderwood Hall
What is the value of a copy of an important painting? Nowadays, a copy is often seen as undesirable; seemingly everyone wants an original. Yet, this was not always the case. In the Renaissance, copies were coveted, commissioned and produced for a variety of reasons. Even the Gardner’s world-class collection features numerous copies of important works. Was Isabella Stewart Gardner an avid collector of copies? Was she aware that these were not originals?
Today, paintings conservators are experts at investigating the brushstrokes and identifying valuable replicas, promising fakes, and masterfully crafted imitations. Guided by the technical investigations of Maryan Ainsworth, Álvaro Saieh Curator Emerita of European Paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, join us to learn more about the form and function of copies, including the secrets of one particular, beautiful work in Gardner’s collection: the portrait of Anna van Bergen.
Maryan Ainsworth is Alvaró Saieh Curator Emerita of European Paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She received her BA and MA degrees in art history from Oberlin College and her PhD from Yale University. She has concentrated on early Netherlandish, French, and German paintings, in particular their technical examination. Maryan has taught technical art history at Barnard, Columbia, the Institute of Fine Arts (NYU), and served as the Kress-Beinecke Professor at CASVA at the National Gallery in Washington, and the Robert Janson-La Palme Visiting Professor at Princeton. She is the author of numerous articles; among her award-winning exhibition catalogues and books are: Petrus Christus, Renaissance Master of Bruges (1994); From Van Eyck to Bruegel, Early Netherlandish Painting in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1998); Gerard David, Purity of Vision in an Age of Transition (1998); Man, Myth, and Sensual Pleasures: Jan Gossart’s Renaissance (2010); German Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1350–1600 (2013); Grand Design, Pieter Coecke van Aelst and Renaissance Tapestry (2014); and Jan van Eyck’s Crucifixion and Last Judgment: Solving a Conundrum (2022). Maryan has recently completed online entries on The Met’s early Netherlandish paintings. She serves on the Boards of the Allen Memorial Art Museum, the Yale University Art Gallery, the Belgian American Educational Foundation, and the King Baudouin Foundation/Myriad USA. Maryan is a Knight of the Order of the Crown (2001) and a Knight of the Order of Léopold (2011), awarded by King Albert II of Belgium, and a member of the Royal Flemish Academy of the Arts (2025).
Ticket Information
This performance takes place in Calderwood Hall. Calderwood Hall has open seating within each level. Seating begins 45 minutes before the event. Seats are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Late seating is not guaranteed. Tickets include Museum admission, and we encourage you to explore our galleries and exhibitions prior to securing your seat.
Adults $22, seniors $20, students $15, free for members and children 17 and under.
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