Column
furniture maker
Unknown
Date19th century
Place MadeItaly, Europe
MediumPainted and gilded wood
Dimensions151 x 25 x 25 cm (59 7/16 x 9 13/16 x 9 13/16 in.)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberF26e24
eMuseum ID719764
Previous Number710
EmbARK ObjectID14697
TMS Source ID3414
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThis column is assembled from disparate components of differing dates. It is possible that the column was specifically adjusted by the dealer to fit its intended location in the Titian Room. Cellini's bust of Bindo Altoviti was supported by a simple bracketed shelf when the Titian Room first opened in 1903. This column was slipped into place after 1906, giving the impression that it is holding up the bust.
The lower section of the column is deeply carved with foliage and a putto standing on a platform holding cymbals. The forms are painted on a gold ground. The cylinder above is carved in low relief with oval cabochons and obelisks. The composite capital is painted in various colors. The lower carved section with the putto appears to date from the early seventeenth century, the gilded column and capital are eighteenth century, while th ebase and top were added in the nineteenth century.
The lower section of the column is deeply carved with foliage and a putto standing on a platform holding cymbals. The forms are painted on a gold ground. The cylinder above is carved in low relief with oval cabochons and obelisks. The composite capital is painted in various colors. The lower carved section with the putto appears to date from the early seventeenth century, the gilded column and capital are eighteenth century, while th ebase and top were added in the nineteenth century.
BibliographyNotesFausto Calderai and Alan Chong. Furnishing a Museum: Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Collection of Italian Furniture (Boston: 2011), p. 265, no. 127. (as 19th century with earlier elements)
ProvenanceNotesPurchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner from Galeries Heilbronner, Paris on 23 November 1906 for 1000 francs.
