Dummy Board
furniture maker
Unknown
Datelate 17th century
Place MadeEngland, Europe
MediumOil on oak panel
Dimensions96.5 x 28 cm (38 x 11 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberF18n29
eMuseum ID726588
Previous Number459
EmbARK ObjectID14157
TMS Source ID2978
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 boy holds a kitten in a broad-rimmed hat and is one of a pair - its partner (F18n11) shows a girl holding a puppy.
BibliographyNotesGilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 140. (as Dutch or English, last quarter of the 17th 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), p. 15, ill. (as English or Dutch, late 17th 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), pp. 16-17, ill. (as England or Netherlands, about 1700)
Loa C. Winter. "Dummy Boards." The Decorator (1993/1994), p. 9, ill. (as English or Dutch, late 17th 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), p. 15, ill. (as English or Dutch, late 17th 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), pp. 16-17, ill. (as England or Netherlands, about 1700)
Loa C. Winter. "Dummy Boards." The Decorator (1993/1994), p. 9, ill. (as English or Dutch, late 17th century)
ProvenanceNotesEntered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection by about 1900.
