# Portrait of Isabella Brant

**Peter Paul Rubens** (Flemish, 1577–1640)  
c. 1620–25  
oil on wood  
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.)

Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1947.207. [The museum's record](https://clevelandart.org/art/1947.207).

## About this work

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.

_Text from the Cleveland Museum of Art._

Peter Paul Rubens painted this in about 1620–25, aged about 43. It is now at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

### How it was made

- **Oil on panel.** Oil paint on prepared wooden boards, usually oak in the north and poplar in Italy. The rigid, smooth surface suits fine detail and thin, glowing glazes.
- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Peter Paul Rubens](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/peter-paul-rubens)

Flemish, 1577–1640; born in Siegen; died in Antwerp

Rubens was born in Siegen, raised in Antwerp and spent eight formative years in Italy, mainly in the service of the Duke of Mantua. Settling in Antwerp in 1608, he ran a large, efficient studio that produced altarpieces, ceilings and tapestry designs for courts across Europe, from the Medici cycle in Paris to the Banqueting House ceiling in London. He also served as a diplomat. Isabella Brant and later Helena Fourment, his two wives, appear often in his work.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: Flanders
- The artist was about 43
- Real size: about 21 × 18 in (53 × 46 cm). The 16 × 20 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 17th century
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/577.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/577/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/portrait-of-isabella-brant-cma-125247).