Anders Zorn (Mora, 1860 - 1920, Mora)
Betty Nansen, 1905
Etching on laid paper, 33.3 x 23.7 cm (13 1/8 x 9 5/16 in.)
This etching is a portrait of the actress Betty Nansen. She is sitting in a shadowy room, against a window on the upper right. There are loosely detailed tall buildings in the distance. She is wearing a wide hat covered in some sort of sheer fabric over upswept hair. She wears a fur shrug over her white blouse. Her left arm is at a right angle resting on the unseen arm of the chair, with her curled fingers in line with her face. Her right arm rests in her lap. The light from the window falls unevenly from right to left and illuminates the left side of her turned face, her white blouse and her right arm. The entire left half of the etching is in total darkness with what appear to be heavy drapes behind the actress.
Short Gallery
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.