Bernard Berenson (Butrimonys, Lithuania, 1865 - 1959, Florence)
Letter to Isabella Stewart Gardner from 13 North Street, Westminster, London, 1 August 1894
Ink on paper, 18 x 22 cm (7 1/16 x 8 11/16 in.)
Blue Room
Commentary
When it came to Isabella Stewart Gardner’s love of Italian paintings, Bernard Berenson knew how to seduce her with a carefully written sales pitch. Both benefited. She acquired the first painting by Botticelli in America, and he reaped a handsome commission.