The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 29, 2024

Portrait of Isabella Brant

Portrait of Isabella Brant

c. 1620–25
(Flemish, 1577–1640)
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.)

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.
  • 1947-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
    1947
    Rosenberg and Stiebel and Pinakos, Inc./Rudolf Heinemann, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1930-1947
    Heirs of Marcus Kappel, sold to Rosenberg and Stiebel with Pinakos, Inc./Rudolf Heinemann
    1930
    (Kappel estate sale, Paul Cassirer und Hugo Helbing, Berlin, Nov. 25, 1930, no. 16, withdrawn)
    1919-1930
    Estate of Marcus Kappel
    1914-1919
    Marcus Kappel [1839-1919], Berlin
    1914
    (Hugh Blaker [1873–1936], Old Isleworth, Middlesex, England, sold to Marcus Kappel
    1914
    (Glanusk sale, Sotheby's, London, April 29, 1914, no. 88, sold to Hugh Blaker)
    1914
    Lord Glanusk
  • null
    Vlieghe, Hans, Ludwig Burchard, and Antoine Seilern. Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard: An Illustrated Catalogue Raisonné of the Work of Peter Paul Rubens Based on the Material Assembled by the Late Dr. Ludwig Burchard in Twenty-Six Parts ; Part 19. London: H. Miller, 1987.
    Jaffé, Michael. Rubens: catalogo completo. Milano: Rizzoli, 1989.
    Gerald Stiebel, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, March 15, 2014, in CMA curatorial file.
    Bert Watteuw, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, Nov. 27, 2014, in CMA curatorial file.
    Henry Sayles Francis, letter to Saemy Rosenberg, April 9, 1947, in CMA curatorial file.
    Vlieghe, Hans, Ludwig Burchard, and Antoine Seilern. Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard: An Illustrated Catalogue Raisonné of the Work of Peter Paul Rubens Based on the Material Assembled by the Late Dr. Ludwig Burchard in Twenty-Six Parts ; Part 19. London: H. Miller, 1987.
    Gerald Stiebel, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, March 15, 2014, in CMA curatorial file.
    Bert Watteuw, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, Nov. 27, 2014, in CMA curatorial file.
    Bert Watteuw, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, April 13, 2015, in CMA curatorial file.
    Bert Watteuw, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, April 23, 2015, in CMA curatorial file.
    Walter Feilchenfeldt, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, Dec. 12, 2013, in CMA curatorial file.
    Bert Watteuw, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, Nov. 27, 2014, in CMA curatorial file
    Gerald Stiebel, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, June 26, 2013, in CMA curatorial file.
    Gerald Stiebel, email to Victoria Sears Goldman, Sept. 19, 2013, in CMA curatorial file.
    Vlieghe, Hans, Ludwig Burchard, and Antoine Seilern. Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard: An Illustrated Catalogue Raisonné of the Work of Peter Paul Rubens Based on the Material Assembled by the Late Dr. Ludwig Burchard in Twenty-Six Parts; Part 19. London: H. Miller, 1987.
    Jaffé, Michael. Rubens: catalogo completo. Milano: Rizzoli, 1989.
    Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge (London). Catalogue of Ancient and Modern Pictures and Drawings in Water-Colours and Pastel Comprising Properties from Various Sources and Private Collections, and Including the Property of Lord Glanusk. April 29, 1914.
    Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge (London). Catalogue of Ancient and Modern Pictures and Drawings in Water-Colours and Pastel Comprising Properties from Various Sources and Private Collections, and Including the Property of Lord Glanusk. April 29, 1914.
    Glück, Gustav. Rubens, Van Dyck und ihr Kreis. Wien, Austria: Schroll, 1933. Reproduced: p. 95, 385
    Gijsen, Marnix, and Julius S. Held. Rubens in America. New York, NY: Pantheon, 1947. Reproduced: p. 26, pl. XI
    The Bulletin of The Cleveland Museum of Art XXXIV, (December, 1947): 247-249. Mentioned: p. 247-249; Reproduced: p. 245 (cover)
    Art Gallery of Toronto. Fifty Paintings by Old Masters. The Art Gallery of Toronto. April 21-May 21, 1950. Toronto, Ontario,1950. Reproduced: no. 40
    Bode, Wilhelm von, and Eduard Plietzsch. Die Meister der holländischen und flämischen Malerschulen. Leipzig, Germany: E.A. Seemann, 1951. Reproduced: p. 417; Mentioned: p. 425
    Larsen, Erik. P.P. Rubens. Antwerp, Belgium: De Sikkel, 1952. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 148-149
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 442 archive.org
    Milliken, William Mathewson. The Cleveland Museum of Art. New York, NY: H.N. Abrams, 1958. Reproduced: p. 40
    Held, Julius S. Rubens; Selected Drawings. London, United Kingdom: Phaidon Press, 1959.
    Saisselin, Rémy G. Style, Truth, and the Portrait. [Cleveland]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1963. Mentioned and reproduced: Cat. no. 21
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 119 archive.org
    Aymar, Gordon Christian. The Art of Portrait Painting; Portraits Through the Centuries As Seen Through the Eyes of a Practicing Portrait Painter. Philadelphia, PA: Chilton Book Co, 1967. Reproduced: p. 129, pl. 62
    Cabanne, Pierre. Rubens. London, United Kingdom : Thames & Hudson. 1967. Reproduced: p. 187
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 119 archive.org
    Rubens, Peter Paul, and Didier Bodart. Rubens e la pittura fiamminga del Seicento nelle collezioni pubbliche fiorentine = Rubens et la peinture flamande du XVIIème siècle dans les collections publiques florentines : Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, 22. VII-9.X. 1977 : catalogo. Firenze, Italy: Centro Di, 1977. Reproduced: p. 204, no. 85
    Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten. P.P. Rubens: Paintings-Oilsketches-Drawings : [Exhibition], 29th June-30th September 1977. Antwerp, Belgium: Royal Museum of Fine Arts, 1977. Reproduced: no. 50
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 154 archive.org
    Morse, John D. Old Master Paintings in North America: Over 3000 Masterpieces by 50 Great Artists. New York, NY: Abbeville Press, 1979. Mentioned: p. 244
    Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 3. European paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue Series. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 24-28, fig. 10
    Heiden, Rüdiger an der. Peter Paul Rubens und die Bildnisse seiner Familie in der Alten Pinakothek. München, Germany: Hirmer, 1982. Mentioned: p. 12; Reproduced: p. 13, pl 6
    Larson, Dean M. Studying with the Masters: Lessons from Rubens, Velázquez, Turner, Degas, Monet, Sargent, Matisse. New York, NY: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1986. Reproduced: p. 15
    Gemäldegalerie (Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz). Masterworks of the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin: with a history of the collection. New York, NY: Abrams, 1986. Reproduced: p. 198
    Burchard, Ludwig. Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard: An Illustrated Catalogue Raisonné of the Work of Peter Paul Rubens Based on the Material Assembled by the Late Dr. Ludwig Burchard in Twenty-Six Parts. 1968. Reproduced: p. 54-55, vol.2
    Jaffé, Michael. Rubens: catalogo completo. Milano, Italy: Rizzoli, 1989. Mentioned: p. 264-265; Reproduced: no, 786
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Interpretations: Sixty-Five Works from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: no. 18
    Masterpieces from East and West. New York, NY: Rizzoli International, 1992. Reproduced: p. 118
    Bauman, Guy, and Walter A. Liedtke. Flemish Paintings in America: A Survey of Early Netherlandish and Flemish Paintings in the Public Collections of North America. Antwerp, Belgium: Fonds Mercator, 1992. Reproduced: p. 359, fig. 391
    Takahashi, Yūko. Rūbensu = Peter Paul Rubens. Tōkyō, Japan: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1993. Reproduced: p. 36, no. 33
    Mallory, Nina A. La pintura flamenca del siglo XVII. Madrid, Spain: Alianza, 1995. Reproduced: p. 136
    Dalemans, René, and Peter Paul Rubens. Rubens et son temps. Brussels, Belgium: Editions Artis-Historia, 2000. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 70-71
    Jiminez, Jill Berk, and Joanna Banham. Dictionary of Artists' Models. London, United Kingdom: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001. Reproduced: p. 80
    Rubens: Lille, Palais Des Beaux-Arts, 6 March-14 June 2004. Gent, Belgium: Snoeck, 2004. Reproduced: p. 128, no. 68; Mentioned: p.130
    Schröder,Klaus Albrecht, Heinz Widauer, and Anne-Marie S. Logan. Peter Paul Rubens. Ostfildern-Ruit, Germany: Hatje Cantz, 2004. Reproduced: p. 350, fig. 1
    Tijs, Rutger J. De andere Rubens: activiteiten, interesses, leefwereld. Leuven, Belgium: Davidsfonds, 2004. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 216-217
    Brejon de Lavergnée, Barbara, Michèle Moyne, and Annie Scottez-De Wambrechies. Catalogue des dessins français du XIXe siècle: collection du Palais des beaux-arts de Lille. Paris, France: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2004. Reproduced: p. 128, 130
    Wheelock, Arthur K. Flemish Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. Washington DC: National Gallery of Art, 2005. Reproduced: p. 38, fig. 2
    Franklin, David and C. Griffith Mann. Treasures from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2012. Reproduced: 186-187
    Treasures of the Cleveland Museum of Art. London, United Kingdom: Scala Books, 2012. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 186-187
    Vergara, Alexander, and Friso Lammertse. The Young Van Dyck. London, United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson. 2013. Reproduced: p. 330, fig. 113
    Beneden, Ben van, and Nils Büttner. Rubens in Private: The Master Portrays His Family. London, United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson Ltd., 2015.
    Cuzin, Jean-Pierre, et. al. Le Saint Joseph Charpentier de Georges de la Tour: Un Don au Louvre de Percy Moore Turner. [Gent]: Snoeck, 2017. Mentioned: p. 225 & 492, n. 2696; p. 230 & 493, n. 2773
    Hauspie, Gunter. The Peter Paul Rubens Atlas. Tiel: Lannoo, 2018. Reproduced: p. 87
    Dijn, Rosine de. De vrouwen van Rubens. Kalmthout, België: Polis, 2018. Reproduced: p.[9]; color plate section
    Lyon, J. Vanessa. Figuring Faith and Female Power in the Art of Rubens. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2020. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 74-75, fig. 1.22
    Paintings in the Cleveland Museum of Art: Picture Book No. 4 . [Cleveland]: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1952. Reproduced: p. 27 archive.org
  • The Early Celebrity of Peter Paul Rubens. Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA (April 6-September 2, 2019); Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario M5T 1G4, Canada (October 5, 2019-January 5, 2020).
    Rubens in Private. Rubenshuis, Antwerpen, Belgium (organizer) (March 28-June 28, 2015).
    Rubenshuis, Antwerp, Belgium (3/28/2015 - 6/28/2015): "Rubens in Private"
    Rubens. Palais des Beaux Arts de Lille, Lille, France (organizer) (March 6-June 14, 2004).
    Palais des Beaux-Arts, Lille "Rubens": (3/6/2004 - 6/14/2004), exh. cat. no. 68, p. 128,130.
    Portraiture: The Image of the Individual. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1983-January 22, 1984).
    Portraiture: The Image of the Individual, November 22, 1983- January 1984, The Cleveland Museum of Art (checklist)
    Peter Paul Rubens. Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp (organizer) (June 28-October 2, 1977).
    A Tribute to Rubens: 400th anniversary of Peter Paul Rubens' Birth. The Cleveland Museum of Art, May- June 1977. (No catalogue: see label copy.)
    Belgium, The Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, 1977: "P.P Rubens: Paintings, Oil Sketches, Drawings," cat. no. 58, repr.
    P. P. Rubens Paintings, Oil Sketches, Drawings, Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, 1977, cat. no. 58, illus.
    Style, Truth and the Portrait. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 1-November 19, 1963).
    Style, Truth and the Portrait, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Oct. 1- Nov. 10, 1963, no. 21 (repr.) June 29- September 30, 1977.
    Fifty Paintings by Old Masters, Art Gallery of Toronto, April 21- May 21, 1950, no. 40.
    Classic to Baroque: A Style Change in the Arts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 30-November 13, 1949).
  • {{cite web|title=Portrait of Isabella Brant|url=false|author=Peter Paul Rubens|year=c. 1620–25|access-date=29 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.207