Portrait Paintings

A wonderful 18th century French oval pastel on paper of a young woman, unsigned, and housed under glass in its original giltwood foliate gessoed frame. Some frame gesso repairs and t...

Emil Hermann (1871 - 1966) Austria, Ohio, Wichita Falls (Texas) Artist Image Size: 47.5 x 36 Frame Size: 54.5 x 44 Medium: Oil Dated 1918 "Sam Houston" Emil Hermann (1871 - 1966) Emil Hermann (Am.1871-1966) Emil Hermann was born in Vienna of French and Austrian parents. His father was an engineer who did not consider art a proper profession for a young man. But so obvious was Hermann's talent, that his father let him enter the Royal Academy in Vienna. He went on to study at the National Art Institute at Budapest and the Rembrandt Art Institute in Amsterdam. In 1889, Hermann came to the United States to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts at the age of nineteen. Hermann was the organizer and first president of the Ohio Brush and Pencil Club and president of the Dayton, Ohio Art Club. As a result of his work in the latter city, a two-million-dollar art center was later founded there. After enrolling in the Academy, he opened his first studio in Philadelphia. In 1890, he received his citizenship papers. His first break came when a Dayton art dealer invited Hermann to hold a one-man art show. From this show, he obtained a position as a muralist with the great Schachne Studios. Soon, he became one of the best-known portrait artists in the area, drawing the leading citizens of Dayton to his studio. The upcoming artist was such a success that, soon, he was traveling throughout the country to execute portrait commissions and hold exhibitions. On one such trip, he was in Tulsa. After viewing his exhibition, a group of Missouri attorneys, some of whom were living in Oklahoma, commissioned Hermann to paint a portrait of General John H. Pershing from an only existing photograph that had been made in France. This work, when completed, was presented to the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis, and he was later commissioned to duplicate the portrait for the city of Loclede, Missouri, the birthplace of General Pershing. At a suggestion from his Tulsa friends, Hermann opened an exhibit on the balcony of the Freer Furniture Company, at Ninth and Scott in Wichita Falls, in 1919, in the midst of the great Burkburnett oil boom. Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Kemp commissioned him to do a portrait, which now hangs in the Kemp Public Library. As a result of this show his fame spread and he was soon flooded with offers from all parts of the southwest. The Fort Worth citizens club gave him a commission to do a portrait of Teddy Roosevelt...

Portrait Of William Wallace (1270-1305), circa 1700 European School - original early Large 17th/18th Century European School portrait of S...

Portrait of William Shakespeare British artist, 18th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 24 x 18 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: very good and sound con...

Tavern Interior Dutch School, 17th century oil on metal, framed framed: 8 x 6.75 inches painting: 6 x 4.25 inches provenance: private collection condition: very good and sound condit...

Bolognese painter (18th-19th century) - Maddalena. 70 x 50 cm without frame, 89 x 69 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a carved and gilded wooden frame. Condition ...

This rather handsome British Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to circle of Thomas Gainsborough. Painted circa 1780 the sitter is identified on the name plate as Archiba...

Portrait of John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol (1665-1751). Early 18th-century near-life-size portrait of a noble man richly dressed in a long wig. Circle of the German-British cour...

Oil on canvas Image size: 21 1/2 x 17 3/4 inches (55 x 45 cm) Original gilt frame In this portrait this young woman is depicted facing forward with her head slightly raised and turned left towards the viewer. She is dressed in a blue satin dress. The low-cut drapery, exposing her décolletage, was not unusual for the time as 18th century women would often wear their dresses off-the-shoulder or fitted with a very open neckline. Her perfectly oval face is enlivened by wide brown eyes, full cheeks and a mouth that sketches a half smile. Her cheeks rose with blush, which was a popular cosmetic style during the Rococo period and contrasts with her ivory skin and powdered hair. Her tied hair is studded with many flowers and the ribbon around the woman's throat accentuates her bare neck. Alexander Roslin Alexander Roslin was one of the most important portrait painters of Europe in the 18th century. He was born in Malmö in Sweden but soon moved into Europe to paint at various royal courts. From 1750 on he worked mainly in Paris. Here he was destined to achieve great success. He had collected letters of recommendation on his journey through Europe, including that of the Duchess of Parma, the sister-in-law of Louis XV. Soon he was admitted to the court and the Royal Academy in Paris and when he married in 1759 he was the most wanted artist in Paris for portraits. He was married to the miniature painter Marie Suzanne Giroust. Although he painted mainly French nobility...

Oil on canvas, 62 x 51 cm (without the frame) Even if on the background there is an attribution to “Francesco Gessi pupil of Guido Reni” by the bolognese art historian Guido Zucchini (dated 1945), recent studies are tending to add it to the corpus of Girolamo Negri called Il Boccia (Bologna 1648-1718) due to lots of similarities with his style (the pale and warm palette chosen, the profile) The painting represents a lady on profile wearing a brown turban, a yellow clock...

Biblical Figures, Large Gathering around Christ? Dutch Old Master, early 17th century oil painting on wood panel, stuck on velvet backing board velvet board: 27 x 29 inches board: 25.5 x 26 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: good and sound condition, obvious old panel...

17th century Flemish old master painting, Allegory of taste The very fine painting depicts a young boy, cheekily tasting a delicious pie. He's looking at the viewer with eyes twinkl...

William III of England, Prince of Orange, workshop C. Netscher (The Hague, 1668-1723) Late 17th c. Dutch school Oil on canvas, dimensions: h. 31.49 in, w. 24.80 in Giltwood and carve...

The painting (with a Salvador Rosa-style gilded frame 88 x 116 cm) depicts a group of four children who are playing outside on a swinging seesaw; we are probably dealing with a prank, as can be seen by the satisfied expression of the child on the right at the expense of the one in the foreground, who seems to be supported by the others, perhaps because of the fear felt. They are dressed in the same way, with black or brown ankle boots and a kind of double-breasted jumpsuit with a rich lace collar reminiscent of the jabots of dames, blue for the one in the foreground, brick-colored for the other three. Children also look alike in the hair, typical of the period, and features, suggesting a kinship relationship. We find the same subject, for example, in Johann Zoffany...

Oil on panel Portrait of a child holding peaches, accompanied by a dog. We are grateful to Fred Meijer for confirming the attribution on the basis of high-resolution photographs. The present portrayal of a silk-robed child, attended by a pedigree puppy and holding a sprig of expensive, exotic fruit, exudes the burgeoning wealth of the mid-17th century Dutch Republic, and is characteristic of the accomplished hand of Jacob Gerritsz. Cuyp. The sex of the present child is difficult to determine with certainty, as young boys also were attired in dresses at this time, but the silk bonnet...

This superb Dutch Golden Age portrait is attributed to circle of Dutch artist Wybrand Simonsz de Geest. Painted in 1666 it is a full length portrait of a young William Stonestreet. H...

Louis Michel van Loo (Toulon 1707- Paris 1771) attributable Portrait of a noblewoman with her little dog Oil on canvas (79 x 66 cm. - with frame 92 x 78 cm.) A qualitative portrait depicting an elegant noblewoman of French origin, presumably belonging to the wealthy court of Versailles during the reign of Louis XV; this work fully reflects the pictorial qualities as well as the refinement of the compositional style of the French painter Louis Michel van Loo (1707- 1771), one of the most significant portrait painters of his time, and for this reason in demand at the most noble European courts. The work, taking up the traditional formula for portraits of members of the aristocracy, shows the effigy in a half-length pose, slightly turned to the right and looking directly at the viewer. The woman, with a regal bearing, is here portrayed intent on completing her daily beauty ritual, wearing a cape during her make-up, which must have just been completed as pink powder is visible on her cheeks. This luxurious garment reveals a corset with a daring neckline, made of silk and lace, and a coral-coloured dress ending in wide jabote cuffs. Her hair is styled in the French fashion in a hairstyle that highlights her facial features. Having finished her beauty ritual, the woman is intent on removing her cape with one hand, an elegant gesture that emphasises her noble pose. At her side is her small pet dog, sitting on a blue velvet cushion with gold trim. The canvas may have been made on the occasion of a wedding, elegantly celebrating the role of a member of the aristocracy. The presence of the pet depicted in her arms had in fact a precise meaning: the fidelity that is such a well-known characteristic of the dog, declared at the same time the virtues of the effigy. Louis Michel van Loo (Toulon 1707- Paris 1771) was the son of the painter Jean Baptiste van Loo, with whom he studied in Rome and Turin. He attended the Paris Academy, where he won the first prize for painting in 1726. In 1728 he returned to Rome, where he met Francois Boucher. In 1732, passing through Turin, he returned to Paris. In 1737 van Loo became court painter in Madrid, succeeding Jean Ranc...

A fine European portrait of a priest, oil on canvas, probably dating to the 17th or 18th century, unsigned, with original stretcher, minor surface losses and damage, craquelure, edge...

The sitter is elegantly attired in a blue silk dress over a white frilled chemise and a striking crimson mantle. The artist, Thomas Murray, can be described as one of the most successful and talented during the last part of the seventeenth century. It is not surprising that Murray painted the portraits of King William III, Queen Mary, Queen Ann as well as several other high-ranking individuals. The influence of Sir Godfrey Kneller is evident and even expected considering the importance of Kneller, and even though the formula employed for head and shoulders portraits of woman during the period is similar, Murray’s work is distinguishable by a refined and elegant manner, a smooth overall feel, and often, distinctive eyes. Murray is known to have employed not only the same pattern as our portrait but the three distinctive colours (blue, white, red) many times. Thomas Murray was born in Scotland but moved to London to study with a member of the De Critz family. Later he was a pupil of the English portraitist John Riley (1646-1691), who was court painter to King William III and Queen Mary, and was practising as a painter on his own in the 1680s. In 1691 he took over Riley’s studio when that artist died in 1691 and he established a very successful practice. The Rev, James Dalloway accounted that Murray “was remarkable for his personal beauty and for the elegance of his manner” and he was also noted to have been hard working, courteous and popular with his customers. His portraiture retains an individual style and easily recognised but his earlier work is similar to John Closterman, who was a fellow pupil, and many consider this period to be his finest. Murray invested wisely in property and when he died in 1735, he left around £40,000. He had no children and he bequeathed his money to a nephew with instructions that his monument, with a bust, should be erected in Westminster Abbey, provided that it did not cost too much – but his nephew decided that it was indeed “too expensive” and the plan did not proceed. He is buried in St. Paul's, Covent Garden. Murray’s work is represented in many British country houses and private collections, the National Portrait Gallery London, Royal Society and Middle Temple in London, and in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. A good example of 17th century British portraiture...

Sir Joshua Reynolds 1723-1792 | British Sir Henry Bowles Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk and 5th Earl of Berkshire Oil on canvas Sir Joshua Reynolds is unequivocally considered the most important English portraitist of the 18th century who was instrumental in adapting the Grand Manner style in the portrait genre. In fact, when the Royal Academy was founded in 1768, Reynolds was elected its first President, setting the precedent of quality for which all other portraitists would strive. Reynolds's portrait of Henry Bowles Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk, showcases his genius in the genre and mastery over the medium. Reynolds’s portrait of the Earl expertly invokes classical values with strong lighting, rich colors and expert attention to detail to help underscore the prominence and revered echelon of the sitter. Howard was an esteemed British politician and Knight of the Garter. He served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department from 1771 to 1779, and he played a key role in utilizing mercenaries during the American Revolution and safeguarding Sweden's independence. The portrait employs Reynolds's signature style to render Howard rightfully as a gentleman of distinction. Captured seated in a stately library, the Earl appears learned and austere as he places one hand upon a stack of important documents and looks wistfully into the distance. Reynolds makes these compositional choices decisively, as the seated position gives Howard a weighty appearance of importance and the semi-profile turn captures his countenance at an attractive angle that highlights his strong, masculine features. The work draws on the classical conventions of Greek and Roman art and the Italian Renaissance masters, anchoring the nobleman in a history of refinement. Everything from his strong yet welcoming expression to his pale face enlivened by a rush of blood to the cheeks presents the picture of a strong, vital and powerful leader. As the first president of the Royal Academy in London, Reynolds’s commissions raised the status of an artist in Britain during the Romantic period and also established the portrait as an esteemed high art genre that garnered equal import to the history paintings that reigned supreme in decades prior. Today, Reynolds’s works grace the walls of the most important museums in the world, including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery in London, among others. Circa 1770 Canvas: 50 1/2" high x 40 1/4" wide Framed: 61" high x 52 1/2" wide x 3 1/2" deep Provenance: Sir Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk and 5th Earl of Berkshire, 1739-1779 His mother, Lady Mary Howard, née Finch, Lady Andover, d. 1803 Acquired by descent to her daughter, Frances, and her husband Richard Bagot (later Howard) Acquired by descent to their daughter, Mary (1784-1877), and her husband Col. Fulke Greville Upton (later Howard), d. 1846 Acquired by descent to Lieutenant Colonel H.R.G. Howard Sale, Christie's, London, March 24, 1961, no. 29 Julius Weitzner, London and New York Sale, Paris, Musée Galliéra, December 7, 1965, no. 165 Newhouse Galleries, New York, NY Mr. and Mrs. F. Howard Walsh, Fort Worth, Texas, 1966 Walsh Family Art Trust Private collection, Oregon M.S. Rau, New Orleans Exhibited: British Institution, London, 1844, no. 130, loaned by the Hon. Fulke Greville Howard. South Kensington, "Second special exhibition of National Portraits," 1867, no. 478, lent by the Hon. Mrs. Greville. Agnew's, London, 1903, no. 17. Literature: Algernon Graves and W. V. Cronin, A History of the Works of Sir Joshua Reynolds, P.R.A., vol. 3 (London, 1899), p. 945. David Mannings...

Portrait of a Gentleman French School, 18th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 25 x 20 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: the painting is in sound conditi...

Portrait of a lady, believed to be Henrietta Hyde (née Boyle), Countess of Rochester, (1646-1687) three quarter length, wearing an amber coloured silk gown, with an embroidered blue mantle, seated in an interior. Oil on canvas in a ‘Lely’ frame with the Hornby Castle inventory number 60 attached on the reverse. Provenance: By descent through the Dukes of Leeds, Hornby Castle, Yorkshire; Christie's, London - The Property of the 10th Duke of Leeds Will Trust, 30th October, 2014, Lot 106. Private collection Guernsey. Hornby Castle, Catalogue of Pictures, London, 1898, p. 5, no.60. Historical and descriptive catalogue of pictures belonging to His Grace The Duke of Leeds, London, 1902, p. 24, no. 60. Henrietta was born in Wiltshire, to Sir Richard Boyle, 2nd Earl of Cork and Elizabeth Boyle, Countess of Cork. In 1665, she married Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, son of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon and Frances Aylesbury. They had four children. As sister-in-law of Anne Hyde, the Duchess of York she was appointed as governess to her daughter, Princess Anne (the future Queen) between 1677 and 1682. Like most of the Boyle dynasty, who in the space of two generations had become almost all-powerful in the south of Ireland, Henrietta was strong-minded and acquisitive, and could be ruthless in asserting her rights. During the last two years of her life, when her husband was Chief Minister to his brother-in-law King James II...

Saint Catherine Of Alexandria, 16th Century Italian School - one of a pair 16th Century Italian School depiction of Saint Catherine Of...

Oil on Canvas "The girl in the Red Dress" by W Frank Calderon, RA (no58) Exhibit 1911. Calderon was influenced by the "Art Nouveau"period, this painting shows his beautiful detailed...

Oil Painting Portrait of John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll,, att to John Vanderbank (1694-1739) Housed in a swept frame which has been restored after photo. Canvas Size 50" x 40", Fr...

This superb British Old Master oil painting is attributed to circle of Sir Thomas Lawrence. Painted circa 1795, the sitter is Major-General James Hanson Salmond (1766–1837) an office...

Thomas Brown Yates was an English landscape and portrait painter active during the 1910-1935 period. He studied firstly in London and then travelled to the Andre Lhote school in Par...

Original "cassetta" frame in carved, gilded wood. Expertise by Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri.

David & the Head Of Goliath, 17th Century after GUERCINO (1591-1666) Huge 17th Century Italian Old Master of David after defeating Goliath, oil on can...

Portrait Of King Philip V (1683-1746) of Spain, 18th Century Spanish School Large early 18th Century European School portrait King Philip V Of Spain on horseback, oil on canvas. E...

Circle of Paul van Somer (Antwerp c. 1577-1621 London) Portrait of a gentleman, traditionally identified as Thomas Carey (1597-1634), youngest son of Thomas, 1st Earl of Monmouth Oil...

This atmospheric 18th century portrait oil painting is attributed to a Scottish artist. Painted circa 1750, The painting is a half length portrait of a seated gentleman. He is wearing a blue bonnet, the badge of a Scottish country gentleman and smoking a clay pipe. The way the light catches his hand and face and gleams on his buttons is lovely. The frame is super in that it echoes the button on his jacket. This is an excellent example of an 18th century Scottish portrait...

Attributed to Lemuel Abbott 1760-1803 | English Portrait of Horatio Nelson Oil on canvas This previously unknown portrait is an important discovery in British Naval history. In Admiral Lord Nelson's illustrious and well-studied life, there existed a "silent period" spanning 16 years during which no known portraits of Nelson existed. The discovery of this 1790 portrait, rendered just before his reentry into the Navy, is a significant development for Nelson scholars, adding new insight into the leader's life prior to his legendary command as Admiral of the British Navy. Almost certainly painted by Lemuel Abbott, the official portraitist of Admiral Nelson, the rendering depicts the naval titan in casual dress. This is one of the two final depictions of Nelson before he acquired the war-inflicted injuries that marked his later years. In 1790, Britain was at peace, and Lord Nelson found himself residing in Burnham Thorpe with his newlywed wife, Frances. Having served with great distinction in South America and the West Indies, he garnered much local acclaim. Yet, the uncertainty of returning to the sea weighed heavily on his mind. At the age of thirty, he lived the life of a country gentleman managing his estate. Only one other much smaller portrait of Nelson in civilian attire exists, a much smaller rendering from 1800 currently held at the National Portrait Gallery. Compelling and atmospheric, the oil on canvas offers viewers a rare glimpse into the visage of a youthful and resolute Nelson, a man driven by an unwavering desire to forge his reputation in the art of naval warfare. This portrait had long been believed by the Nelson family to portray Edmund Nelson, Horatio Nelson's father. When connoisseur Jeremy Knight acquired this treasure directly from the Nelson family, he postulated that the work actually depicted the famed Admiral and not his father, as it was painted around 1790, and the elder Edmund Nelson would have been 68 years old at that time. Knight then hired the renowned Nelson scholar Martin Downer, the former Sotheby's expert and author of the bestselling books Nelson's Purse and Nelson's Lost Jewel, to confirm his hunch. It has now been confirmed by Martin Downer that this portrait is the missing...

Giovan Battista Moroni (circle of) (Albino, 1520 – 1580 ca.) Portrait of a woman Oil on canvas, cm. 46 x 40 - with frame cm. 55,5 x 50,5 Antique shaped and gilded wooden cassetta frame. Publications: unpublished. The present portrait shows an adult woman, no longer young, as can be seen from her slightly blistered cheeks, but not elderly either. The suspicious and veiledly inquisitive gaze is well matched by the elegance of her extremely fashionable black clothes...

Frame in lacquered and gilded wood. The painting is mentioned in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani Treccani in the biography of the artist.

Very fine old master Portrait painting of Queen Catherine of Braganza as Saint Catherine attributed to Jacob Huysmans and studio Catherine of Braganza...

The Penitent Magdalene French School, 18th century oil painting on canvas, framed canvas: 30.5 x 25 inches framed: 39 x 33 inches condition: exc...

Expertise by Prof. Davide Dotti. Expertise by Prof. Anna Orlando.

Semi Nude Man drawing a Dagger Italian School, early 17th century circle of Caravaggio oil on canvas, framed framed: 21 x 17 inches canvas : 18 x 14 i...

This rather special Italian Old Master religious portrait oil painting is attributed to a follower of Giovanni Battista Salvi, or Sassoferrato as he is better known. Painted circa 17...

Madonna, 16th Century circle of JOOS VAN CLEVE (1485-1540) 16th Century Netherlandish Antwerp School portrait of the Madonna, oil on panel from the circle of Joos Van Cleve. Exce...

Portrait Of Eleanor Of Toledo, Duchess of Florence (1522-1562), 16th Century after AGNOLO BRONZINO (1503-1572) 16th century Italian Old Master court portrait of Eleanor Of Toledo,...

An elegant study of a young lady, possibly a fragment taken from a larger composition. Well presented in an oval mount and gilt effect frame. Unsigned. On canvas.

Portrait Of A King Henry VIII (1491-1547), 17th Century European School Large 17th Century European School portrait of King Henry VIII, oil on canvas. Excellent quality and rare E...

This superb Dutch Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed as by a follower of Dutch 17th century artist Gerrard van Honthorst. The original of this painting hangs in Wilton House, Wiltshire, home to the 18th Earl and Countess of Pembrokeshire. The painting was previously attributed to Van Dyck by early cataloguers, but after exhaustive comparisons with the two Honthorst brothers' works, it was concluded that Gerrard van Honthorst was the artist who painted the original in Wilton House. Our painting was painted circa 1695 by a follower of Gerrard Honthorst. It was sold to us as circle of Cornelius Johnson. The sitter is Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, Earl of Holderness (1619-1682). He was an English army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first came to prominence as a Royalist cavalry commander during the English Civil War. Rupert was the third son of the German...

This stunning 17th century Old Master portrait oil painting is attributed to Godfrey Kneller. Painted circa 1680 it is a superb full length portrait of a blo...

James Fellowes Flourished 1719 - 1750 Portrait of William Henry Kerr, Earl of Ancram, 4th Marquess of Lothian Oil on canvas, signed & dated 1747 Image size: 29 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches (75 x 62 cm) Original gilt wood frame William Henry Kerr was born a member of the Scottish peerage to William, third Marquess of Lothian, and his first wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Nicholson of Kemnay, first Baronet. William was styled Master Jedburgh until 1722, when his father was elevated to a Marquessate, after which he was referred to as Lord Jedburgh until 1735. Following his father’s military footsteps, on 20 June 1735 Ancram was commissioned as a cornet to the regiment (11th Dragoons) of his grand-uncle, Lord Mark Kerr. Ancram married Lady Caroline...

Portrait of a young boy, full-length in a blue velvet coat and breeches, standing on a stone terrace in a park landscape, playing with a spinning top....

This beautiful Italian 18th Century old masters oil painting on oval canvas with giltwood frame is attributed to Solimena and features a religious scene. In this splendid oval-shaped painting are depicted Saint Dominic...

Saint Sebastian cured by angels Antonio d'Enrico, called Tanzio da Varallo (Alagna Valsesia, c. 1582 - Varallo, 1633) - circle of Oil on canvas 112 ...

Portrait Of Prince William Duke of Gloucester (1689-1700), 17th Century studio of Sir Godfrey KNELLER (1646-1723) Large 17th Century English portrait of Prince William, Duke of Gl...

Bertha Olga Vilhelmine Herlich Dorph 1875-1960, was a Danish Painter of landscapes, still life but mainly portraits, especially of children. She was the co-founder of Female Artists ...

Head Portrait of a Man with Beard Flemish/ Dutch School, circa 1580-1620 period circle of Adriaen Thomasz. Key (Dutch, 1544, Antwerp – after 1589) oil on canvas, framed framed: 20 x ...

This lovely British Edwardian portrait oil painting is attributed to circle of John Singer Sargent. Sargent was born in America then trained in Paris before coming to London. Painted...

This Beautiful British 18th century British Old Master portrait oil painting is by noted artist Joseph Highmore. Painted circa 1740 it is a half length portrait of a young woman, Eli...

Portraits of a Lady, Dorothy and Jane Wood c.1750, Fine Carved Frames By John Theodore Heins (1697-1756) Titan Fine Art present these works, which formed part of a collection of family heirlooms of the Wood family who were from Bracon Ash, Norfolk, since the medieval period. Jane’s daughter Ann, was famously married on board the Foudroyant, off Naples, in a lavish ceremony in 1799, with Lord Nelson himself giving away the bride. The paintings descended within the family for around 275 years until recent and are exquisite examples of Georgian portraiture in England and are some of the best works by the artist. The original hand carved and gilded pierced frames are magnificent works of art in their own right. The sitters were two children, out of several, of Thomas Wood (1682-176) and Dorothy Huby (1700-1759). The family is from Norwich, which in 1720 was a city second in importance only to London. Their aunt, Jane Wood (1677-1756), was a Franciscan nun in Bruges. Dorothy Wood (in the blue dress) was baptised 2nd June 1726 and she died unmarried around 1759. Jane (in the pink dress) gave birth to at least six children during her thirty two-year marriage. She was baptised 14 Oct 1727 at Bracon Ash. Jane married Knipe Gobbet (1730/5-1791) who was Sheriff in 1768 (and Mayor in 1771) of the City of Norwich, and later Lieutenant-Colonel of the West Norfolk Regiment, in which corps he had served in for many years. According to Payne’s Universal Chronicle or Weekly Gazette the marriage took place on 7th July 1758. Knipe was born at his family seat, Tacolneston Hall, to parents George Gobbet, who was Sheriff in 1710, and Ann. The couple bought and lived in a house in Norwich (later known as Gurney’s Bank House) until 1778 before moving to another one at 10 St Stephen’s Street, Norwich. Later, they inherited the family seat of Tacolnestan Hall and lived there for the remainder of their lives. Knipe Gobbet was a prominent individual and in 1779 he gave the corporation of Norwich 100 pounds, to be disposed of as they might think proper, and soon after that he was presented with a handsome field tent, marquee, and camp equipage, in testimony of their esteem for his dedication to the defence and service of this country at a time when threatened by an invasion. Although Jane was baptised a Roman Catholic Knipe was a prominent local wine merchant, JP, Alderman, sheriff, mayor and Lieutenant. Roman Catholics may have paid lip service to religious conformity as they were excluded from certain areas of public life before the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. Such discrimination probably lies behind the why their children are included in the registers of both the Anglican church in Tacolneston and the Norwich Catholic church in the 1760s. Jane and Knipe had one son, Thomas, who died at the age of four of a small-pox inoculation in 1762 (memorial stones in the Church of All Saints, Tacolneston) and many daughters who were schooled at the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, in Paris. Their oldest daughter, Anne (1760-1817) was born at Tacolneston Hall. She came to the convent 30 Sept 1774 and ten days later she went to Dames St Sacrament, Rue St Louis in Paris. Their second daughter, Dorothy (died suddenly of apoplexy 21st Nov 1813), came to the convent 19th July 1777 when she was 16 years old and returned to England 23 March 1779. Frances (baptised 22 Feb 1763) came to the convent 16th April 1772 when she was 9 years old and returned 29th May 1777 – however she returned again to the convent 16th May 1778 and left 15th Oct 1778 to return home again. She later married and her surname became Negri. Another daughter, Jane, is thought to have married Juan Manuel Martinez in 1784. There was also another daughter, Mary. The eldest daughter, Ann, first married Peter Bottalini of London 27 Oct 1783 at Tacolneston Hall. They had one son together. She then married on 9th July 1799, Dr William Compton (1733- Clifton 1824), the Chancellor of Ely and the next collateral male relation to the Earl of Northampton (he had earlier marriages to Caroline and Catherine). William Compton later retired from the Commons and spent many years on the continent acting as Chancellor of Ely by proxy from 1777 for the remainder of his life. The couple were British residents of Posilipo Naples and the marriage was hosted on board the Foudroyant, off Naples, where the bride was given away by the Right Hon. Lord Nelson himself. The marriage document, signed by Lord Nelson, Lady Emma Hamilton, Captain Thomas Hardy, and others descended within the family, until sold in a sale that raised worldwide interest in 2023, for £20,160. The document is accompanied by a contemporary manuscript account of the wedding, headed 'Paragraph for the papers, sent to Messrs Coutts & Co with request to have it inserted'. Lord Nelson was a household name in Britain due to his many victories, including the Battle of the Nile against the French Navy in August 1798 – which came before the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The document states: 'This is to certify that, on board the Foudroyant lying in Naples Bay, on the ninth of July 1799 the marriage between William Compton & Mrs Anne Bottalin, widow, was solemnized by me S. G. Comyn HM. Chaplain to the Right Honble Lord Nelson, H.M.S. Foudroyant, in the presence of'. With the following autograph signatures: Sir William Hamilton (1731-1803), Lady Emma Hamilton (1765-1815), Horatio Nelson, Viscount Nelson (1758-1805); Sir John Thomas Duckworth (1747-1817), Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy (1769-1839), John Rushout, 2nd Baron Northwick (1769-1859), Josiah Nisbet (1780-1830), John Tyson, William Compton and Anne Bottalin, and 2 others” The document sheds light on Nelson's lesser-known side of his character. William Compton ... received "a great many favours and kindnesses" from Nelson, and most especially "the kind interest" taken in sealing his union with a wife who made him "the happiest of mortals". Anne, the aforesaid spouse, said that the admiral's "good heart" had made her "as happy as I can possibly be on this earth" ... Midshipman Parsons remembered those days nostalgically, noting Emma's "graceful form" bending over her harp to bestow "heavenly music" upon the diners on the quarterdeck and the large-decked galley, flush with opera singers, that glided alongside to serenade the sunset of each day'. Tacolneston has an ancient history of which according to the Domesday Book, Edward I granted a weekly market to be held on a Wednesday at the manor of Tacolneston and two annual fairs. The church was rebuilt in 1503 and is dedicated to All Saints. The earliest view of Tacolneston is a print of 1781 when it belonged to Knipe Gobbet Esq. John Theodore Heins (1697-1756) was a painter whose work, at his best, shows detail of an exceptionally high quality. His portraits of Anna Maria Kett nee Phillips and her husband Henry Kett, painted in 1741, are exceptional and evidence that he had the ability to portray a likeness on par with some of the best portraitists in England at the time. Heins appears to have originated in Germany but moved to the UK and settled in Norwich around 1720. From 1720 to his death in 1756, Heins built up a fine reputation as a portrait painter and painted many members of prominent Norfolk families right up to his last year. He was commissioned in 1732 to paint a portrait of the Mayor of Norwich, Francis Arnam and also the previous year's Mayor Robert Marsh...

Portrait of William Paget (1505–1563), 1st Baron Paget de Beaudesert, Court Of King Henry VIII, 17th Century school of Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) Large 17th Century Tudor...

A portrait of courtier and politician John Poyntz, after Hans Holbein, circa 1644 - 1674. This painting is based on a drawing by Hans Holbein, part of the drawings collection of the ...