Italian
The Devil is Not as Ugly as He is Painted [Il diavolo non è brutto quanto si dipinge], 18th century
Etching with hand coloring on paper, 20 x 27 cm (7 7/8 x 10 5/8 in.)
This hand-colored etching depicts a scene in an artist’s studio. A well-dressed man and woman walk into the studio from the door to the viewer’s left, interrupting the artist, shown at center. The artist, a light-skinned man in a blue coat, leans over a wooden chair to converse with the couple. He holds his palette and paintbrush. All three figures are dressed in eighteenth-century garb. Behind the painter, a large canvas is leaning, propped up by a wooden dowel. The painting depicts Saint Michael smiting Satan and casting him down from heaven. Other objects in the artist’s studio include a large open green box to the left, and a classical bust in the background, between the couple and the artist.
Vatichino
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.