Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924) was a prominent American philanthropist and art collector. Born in New York, she moved to Boston after marrying the wealthy merchant John Lowell Gardner. During her extensive travels across Europe and Asia, Isabella Stewart acquired a wide range of artworks, including pieces by artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Botticelli (Merino de Cáceres & Martínez Ruiz, 2012). Her passion for art led her to establish the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1903. Gardner was an active patron of the arts and a friend to important figures such as John Singer Sargent, who painted her portrait. Sargent encouraged Gardner to visit Spain, where she acquired new works for her collection, including a painting by Zurbarán (Prokop, 2012).
PROKOP, Ellen (2012): "Here One Feels Existence: Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Spanish Cloister", en Collecting Spanish Art: Spain’s Golden Age and America’s Gilded Age, The Frick Collection, Nueva York, pp. 97-116.