Italian
Dominican Nun, 17th century
Painted terracotta, 56.5 x 46 x 30 cm (22 1/4 x 18 1/8 x 11 13/16 in.)
This is a painted terracotta sculpture depicting a nun from the waist up. The bottom of the sculpture is flat. She is shown facing the viewer, but her eyes stare into the middle distance. Her eyes are wide and heavy-lidded, her nose long and downwards-pointing, her lips long, with the upper one narrow. She is wearing a white, draped headdress that frames her face. It can be seen around her neck and chin, on the sides of her cheeks, and part of her forehead. This headdress is covered with a hooded black cloak over a simple black tunic. Her two hands are very prominent and are shown in front of her body, palms inward in a relaxed manner. Her right hand is across her center chest and her left hand is below the right, at an angle. There is some discoloration in the black tunic, displaying the terracotta underneath the layer of paint.
Gothic Room
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.