Dummy Board
furniture maker
Unknown
Date19th century
Place MadeEngland, Europe
MediumOil on panel
Dimensions96.5 x 34.5 cm (38 x 13 9/16 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberF18n11
eMuseum ID726402
Previous Number458
EmbARK ObjectID14156
TMS Source ID2977
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryDummy boards, also known as picture boards or silent companions, were produced in the England and the Netherlands from the late 17 century through the 19th century to enliven an otherwise plain or uninteresting corner of a room. This girl holds a spaniel puppy and is one of a pair — its partner (F18n29) shows a boy holding a kitten.
BibliographyNotesGilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 140. (as a 19th century imitation of 17th century style)
Helaine W. Fendelman et al. Silent Companions: Dummy Board Figures of the 17th through 19th Centuries. Exh. cat. (Rye, New York: The Rye Historical Society, 1981), pp. 8, 14, ill. (as possibly English or Dutch, early 19th century)
Ellenor Alcorn et al. The Best of the Decorative Arts. Exploring Treasures in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum IV. Exh. cat. (Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 1992), p. 16. (as later than museum no. F18n29; "probably made to complete the set")
Loa C. Winter. "Dummy Boards." The Decorator (1993/1994), p. 9, ill. (as possibly English or Dutch, early 19th century)
Helaine W. Fendelman et al. Silent Companions: Dummy Board Figures of the 17th through 19th Centuries. Exh. cat. (Rye, New York: The Rye Historical Society, 1981), pp. 8, 14, ill. (as possibly English or Dutch, early 19th century)
Ellenor Alcorn et al. The Best of the Decorative Arts. Exploring Treasures in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum IV. Exh. cat. (Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 1992), p. 16. (as later than museum no. F18n29; "probably made to complete the set")
Loa C. Winter. "Dummy Boards." The Decorator (1993/1994), p. 9, ill. (as possibly English or Dutch, early 19th century)
ProvenanceNotesEntered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection by about 1900.
