Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum Courtyard

From The Holiday Member Morning handout...
First Floor
The Museum collection spans centuries, from the sculpture of the Horus Hawk in the Courtyard to contemporary works done by Gardner's artist friends in the first floor galleries. Before the Museum was created, Isabella and Jack Gardner spent many months traveling around he world. One of their trips (1874-1875) took them to Egypt, where they spent Christmas. Isabella recounted in her Egypt travel album, December 24, 1874.

  Such weather!...The Ibis(their boat) and we dozed through the day - and these days do seem but a span long. What a lovely evening it was as our bird stole, so quietly, under the banks of Maghagha and folded her wings for night. I went up, as usual above, after dinner and found the steersman at his prayers, his forehead touching the deck and little 'Alee at the helm. As I lay upon the couch with the fragrance of frankincense stealing over me, the wake of the moon was a fit path by which my thoughts went straight to Cleopatra and I forgot it was Xmas eve.


This year's holiday courtyard display was inspired by the quote and is dedicated to Anne Hawley(retiring Museum Director)

We were lucky enough to reserve tickets for the complimentary Holiday Member Morning today at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It's one of our favorite place in Boston, and for me it's part of my childhood and college years. My mother graduated from Wheelock College very close to the Museum on Fenway Court and came to love it during her college years. I went often as a child and also graduated from Wheelock. It was a lovely place just a short walk away, art, flowers and a place to sit and enjoy the quiet beauty. T and I are members, we take company there and always go on my birthday. 

We both woke up feeling a bit under the weather this morning, I felt the worst and thought that we would have to pass on our one organized Christmas activity. I was able to rally and we had a superb time, gazing into the glorious courtyard with lovely seasonal harp music. We wandered around, looking at our favorite pieces, feeling sad when we came upon the frames that are still empty after the famous and as yet unsolved 1990 art heist. It was a lovely morning.

We are home and resting, I've made some soup with chicken broth for tonight and plan on doing nothing else. 

For the Record,
This day came in clear and cold with 14 visiting wild turkeys.

Both hands rather poorly with sore throats and colds.






Thirteen Works, explore the Gardner art heist