Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), Portrait of Isabella Brant, c. 1620–25. Oil on wood. Framed: 83 x 73.5 x 9 cm ; Unframed: 53 x 46 cm. Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1947.207 © The Cleveland Museum of Art.

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

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.