A Living Art Gallery: Boston Victorian Reveals a Dazzling Museum Inside: Massachusetts HomeBuyers HomeOwners

 From the exterior, this home on the market for $999,000 in the Hyde Park section of Boston is just a traditional Victorian. However, the listing photos of the interior reveal a dazzling array of sculptures, original paintings, books, and figurines filling every room.

From a room with shelves full of statues to Asian art on the walls, and one-of-a-kind portraits painted by the late owner, this mansard Victorian is chock-full of character throughout its 4,400 square feet. Built in 1880, the four-bedroom home has 11-foot ceilings that add to the “wow” factor as you roam from room to room.

An artist’s paradise

 The owner, Enrico Vittorio “Henry” Pinardi, died last year at age 86. He was an art professor at Rhode Island College and came from a family of artists.

“The current seller is an artist,” says listing agent Andrea Ladd, of Focus Real Estate. “Her husband [Pinardi] bought the home in the ’70s and passed away last year. He was an artist, an art teacher, and traveled all over the world. He was also a painter and a sculptor with a very eclectic taste, so the house is really a manifestation of that.”

 As for all of the items visible in the listing photos, Ladd says the removal of the collectibles has been a multiphase project. “Many of the pieces have gone to auction houses, and we will be having an estate sale in May,” she says.

Making a mini museum

After earning a master’s degree in sculpture from Rhode Island School of Design, Pinardi later taught at Rhode Island College. While at the school, Pinardi created an art club and traveled with students to museums and galleries.

His home later became a museum to display his art as well as the showpieces he collected in his travels. One room features walls adorned with crucifixes.

“His family in Italy worked for a church, so it was in honor of that,” Ladd says of the crucifixes.

The detached 560-square-foot carriage house was transformed into an art studio in the 1980s.

“They converted it to a two-story space with a loft and workshop downstairs,” Ladd says. The main home also features three covered porches that overlook the well-manicured gardens.

The next owner “is certainly going to be someone who loves beautiful old houses like that,” she says. “There are just so many details in the house that remain and are preserved. Most people who have seen the home are old-house fans. I would describe the home as a living art gallery or a museum.”

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