Gardner Museum Solves Mystery of Dutch Room Chairs

Conservators identify original fabric and color of 17th-century chairs as part of museum's restoration project.

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston has solved a mystery related to the original color and fabric of a set of 17th-century chairs in its Dutch Room, as part of a larger restoration project for the space. Conservators used archival photos and AI software to determine the chairs were originally upholstered in a red and pink striped pattern, which they have now replicated.

Why it matters

The Dutch Room at the Gardner Museum is the site of one of the art world's most infamous unsolved mysteries - the 1990 theft of three priceless paintings. While this chair restoration is a smaller-scale mystery, it is an important part of the museum's efforts to faithfully restore the room to its original appearance as envisioned by founder Isabella Stewart Gardner.

The details

As part of a three-year restoration of the Dutch Room, conservators faced a unique challenge in addressing a set of 14 chairs that had been reupholstered multiple times over the years. By analyzing archival photos and using AI software to colorize old black-and-white images, they determined the chairs were originally covered in a red and pink striped fabric - a detail that differed from the fabric used since the 1970s. A small piece of faded thread also confirmed this original color scheme, which the conservators have now replicated in the new upholstery.

  • The Dutch Room restoration project is expected to be completed by early 2027.
  • The 1990 theft of three paintings from the Dutch Room remains unsolved.

The players

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

An art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, known for its collection of European art and the unsolved 1990 theft of three priceless paintings from its Dutch Room.

Anna Rose Keefe

The textile conservator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum who led the effort to identify the original fabric and color of the Dutch Room chairs.

Holly Salmon

The director of conservation at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Palette

An AI software platform used by the museum's conservators to colorize old black-and-white photographs and help determine the original appearance of the Dutch Room chairs.

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What they’re saying

“A lot of the visuals around this feel very Law and Order to me.”

— Anna Rose Keefe, Textile Conservator (WBUR)

“In a project like this, we try to really think about what she intended us to see.”

— Holly Salmon, Director of Conservation (WBUR)

“She likes a silk that's really shiny. She likes something that's really going to pop in the space.”

— Anna Rose Keefe, Textile Conservator (WBUR)

What’s next

The full restoration of the Dutch Room at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is expected to be completed by early 2027, at which point the room will be ready to welcome back the three stolen paintings if they are ever recovered.

The takeaway

While the Gardner Museum's Dutch Room is best known for the unsolved 1990 art heist, this smaller-scale chair restoration project highlights the museum's meticulous efforts to faithfully preserve and restore Isabella Stewart Gardner's original vision for the space, even down to the specific details of the furnishings.