Portrait of Isabella Brant

c. 1620–25

Peter Paul Rubens

(Flemish, 1577–1640)

Culture

Flanders

Medium

oil on wood

Measurements

Framed: 83 x 73.5 x 9 cm (32 11/16 x 28 15/16 x 3 9/16 in.); Unframed: 53 x 46 cm (20 7/8 x 18 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1947.207

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Location

212 Baroque Painting and Sculpture

Did You Know?

First, Rubens painted Isabella’s face, then at a later date he added hands.

Description

Isabella Brant was Rubens’s first wife. He painted her many times in many different ways before she died at the age of 35 (she is a model for a nymph in the other work by Rubens in this room). This intimate portrait, painted at least five years before her death, suggests the close relationship between the painter and sitter through the warm palette, the luscious brushstrokes, and her lively expression.