Design for Isabella Stewart Gardner's Bookplate
primary
Joseph Lindon Smith
(Pawtucket, Rhode Island, 1863 - 1950, Dublin, New Hampshire)
artistafter
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
(Dublin, 1848 - 1907, Cornish, New Hampshire)
Date1893
Place MadeBoston, Massachusetts, United States, North America
MediumWoodcut
Dimensions7.6 cm (3 in.) diameter of each circle
ClassificationsDrawings
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberP11s20
eMuseum ID724816
EmbARK ObjectID15228
Other NumberP11s21
TMS Source ID3828
Last Updated8/9/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryBefore she acquired masterpieces and built a museum of art, Isabella Stewart Gardner collected books and manuscripts. She amassed a collection of over two thousand books—from paperbacks to volumes bound in vellum—and installed them in bookcases throughout her museum.
Following the tradition of other great book collectors, Isabella created her own bookplate. In 1890, Isabella commissioned the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) to make a sculpture of the winged foot of Hermes, the Greek messenger god. Isabella was reportedly so fond of the foot that she asked the painter Joseph Lindon Smith (1863-1950) to draw it for her bookplate. The resulting design depicts two sides of a coin. One side has the winged foot of Hermes inscribed ‘messenger’ in Greek, and the other is inscribed EX LIBRIS ISABELLA ("From the Books of Isabella") with a crown over the letter ‘Y,’ the initial Isabella often used as shorthand to refer to herself.
Following the tradition of other great book collectors, Isabella created her own bookplate. In 1890, Isabella commissioned the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) to make a sculpture of the winged foot of Hermes, the Greek messenger god. Isabella was reportedly so fond of the foot that she asked the painter Joseph Lindon Smith (1863-1950) to draw it for her bookplate. The resulting design depicts two sides of a coin. One side has the winged foot of Hermes inscribed ‘messenger’ in Greek, and the other is inscribed EX LIBRIS ISABELLA ("From the Books of Isabella") with a crown over the letter ‘Y,’ the initial Isabella often used as shorthand to refer to herself.
BibliographyNotesAnne-Marie Eze, "Une Femme Bibliophile: Isabella's Book of Hours by Bourdichon," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 21 June 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/une-femme-bibliophile-isabellas-book-hours-bourdichon
MarksNotesInscribed in Greek (on drawing for the obverse): messenger (probably a reference to the Greek god Hermes)
Inscribed (on drawing for the reverse): EX LIBRIS ISABELLA
Inscribed (on drawing for the reverse): EX LIBRIS ISABELLA
ProvenanceNotesProbably commissioned by Isabella Stewart Gardner from Joseph Lindon Smith in 1893.
Joseph Lindon Smith
late 19th century - early 20th century
