Portrait of a Woman

1835, retouched by the artist in 1843

Portrait of a Woman, 1835, retouched by the artist in 1843. Jean-Baptiste Isabey (French, 1767–1855). Watercolor on vellum; overall: 12.3 x 17.4 cm (4 13/16 x 6 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Jo Hershey Selden Fund 2018.6 French court artist Isabey was accustomed to painting royalty, but here he uses his delicate stipple technique to portray a simply dressed young woman with her books and writing implements. Her sensitivity to the whims of fashion is evident in the fact that eight years after painting her portrait the artist replaced her no longer fashionable “Apollo’s knot” hairstyle with ringlets and added gauzy sleeves to her gown.