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Portrait Paintings For Sale
Period: 18th Century
Period: 1910s
Rococò Venetian painter - 18th century figure painting - Portrait
Located in Varmo, IT
Venetian painter (18th century) - Portrait of an oriental swordsman. 58 x 45 cm without frame, 69 x 55 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in a gilded wooden frame. Con...
Category

Mid-18th Century Rococo Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait after Franz Josef Winter, Clemens August of Bavaria, Archbishop Cologne
Located in Greven, DE
Clemens August Ferdinand Maria Hyazinth, Duke of Bavaria (* August 16, 1700 in Brussels; † February 6, 1761 in Koblenz) was as Clemens August I from 1723 to 1761 Archbishop of Cologne and thus at the same time Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, sovereign of the associated archdiocese as well as the tributary lands of Recklinghausen and Westphalia. In addition, he was Legatus natus of the Holy Apostolic See in Rome and Archchancellor of Imperial Italy. Furthermore, he combined the offices of Grand Master of the Teutonic Order...
Category

18th Century Rococo Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Portrait Of Madame De Cotte, circa 1710
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of Madame De Cotte, circa 1710 circle of Hyacinthe RIGAUD (1659-1743) - one of a pair Large circa 1710 French portrait of Madame De Cotte, ...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Saint John Evangelist Paint Oil on canvas Old master 18th Century French School
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Saint John the Evangelist French school of the eighteenth century Oil painting on canvas 82 x 64 cm. - in frame 102 x 84 cm. In this pleasant painting we see the portrait of the evangelist John, holding a pen in his hand while writing the pages of the Gospel, while behind him it is possible to recognize the profile of an eagle, his typical iconographic attribute. The graceful face, which still reveals the devout attitude, which gives the painting a more intimate and delicate, not excessive religiosity, is one of the typical characteristics for works intended for domestic devotion, as in the case of this Saint John. From the representation of the Saint the freshness of his features immediately stands out, he is in fact portrayed as young and handsome: and it is precisely this iconographic peculiarity that makes the work fascinating and very pleasant, probably commissioned for a private room. The painting presents the peculiarities of eighteenth-century French portraiture, characterized by a soft drawing and a wise use of light. The rather marked chiaroscuro and well-calibrated shades produce an excellent result thanks to the play of light on the face, highlighted by the dark background of the scene. The painting has been relined and is in an excellent state of conservation with the colors still bright and a very healthy pictorial layer. The painting is sold together with a nice golden frame. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic card. We take care and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the Riva del Garda...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Saint John the Baptist & Saint Benedict after Bartolomeo Montagna (1450-1523)
Located in Blackwater, GB
Saint John the Baptist & Saint Benedict, 18th Century Diptych after lost work by Bartolomeo Montagna (1450-1523) Large 18th Century Italian Old Master depiction of Saint John the B...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th c. French Portrait of a Lady by Jean Ranc (1674 - 1735), Paris circa 1700
Located in PARIS, FR
Portrait of a Lady with carnations By Jean Ranc (Montpellier 1674 - Madrid 1735), circa 1700 Oil on canvas in oval shape, Dimensions: h. 35.82, w. 28.34 in. Period Louis XIV giltwood and carved frame with laurel leaves. Framed dimensions: h. 42.52 in, w. 33.85 in. Provenance: Collection of the Marquis de Bailleul at the Château d'Angerville-Bailleul (before 1942). To be included in the catalog raisonné of the artist by Stephane Perreau Important portrait of a young woman depicted half-length turned three-quarters, her face looking at the viewer. Dressed in a brick red velvet dress, an elegant blue scarf envelops her figure. Hair styled “a la Fontange”, her powdered hair is raised and tied at the back with a red ribbon, several curly locks escape from her bun and fall on her back and shoulders. The perfectly oval face with regular features dominated by her straight nose is softened by her gray eyes with slightly lowered lids. The red tinged skin tones on the cheeks and cheekbones color the face and make the portrait come alive. The young woman is portrayed standing near a pot of carnations. Her strongly lighted figure stands out against an architectural background of columns. The artist's palette is made of contrasts opposing warm to cold hues. The icy electric blue contrasts with the fiery brick red, the hair powdered with white accentuates even more the flush of the cheeks. The left arm bent at the elbow, extending the open hand with slightly bent fingers in the foreground brings depth to the composition. Our portrait, an interesting testimony in the corpus of works of the painter, is part of his youthful period, around 1700-1705. The former belonging of this portrait to the Marquis de Bailleul reinforces the remarkable character of our painting. The portrait has been examined by Stéphane Perreau, specialist of Jean Ranc and will be included in the catalog raisonné currently being written, under number P. 43. The notice edited by Mr Perreau is below: "Painted around 1700-1705, this portrait of a woman is directly inherited from Hyacinthe Rigaud, the master of Jean Ranc (the hand turned over the front, in a watch...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Florentine Neoclassical Allegory Landscape Painting from a Villa tempera canvas
Located in Florence, IT
The work, tempera on canvas in a great state of conservation, is part of a series of four big paintings of various authors documented in origin in the Villa La Zambra in Sesto Fioren...
Category

1780s Other Art Style Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Tempera

Dipinto Ritratto maschile con Veste a Fiori, XVIII secolo
Located in Milan, IT
Olio su tela. Scuola italiana del XVIII secolo. Nel ritratto di questo gentiluomo spicca in particolare la veste da camera realizzata in un elegante tessuto fiorato, nelle tonalità d...
Category

18th Century Other Art Style Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Consecrated Madonna, circa 1700
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Consecrated Madonna, circa 1700 Eastern European School Large 17th 18th Century European School depiction of the Consecrated Madonna, oi...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

G. Albertoni portrait, Oil on Canvas Italy XVIII Century
Located in Milan, IT
Oil painting on canvas. At the top right are the name of the man portrayed and his age, 78 years old. The man's habit and the attitude of prayer, in front of the Crucifix, with the meditation book...
Category

18th Century Other Art Style Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

18th Century By Dalla Rosa Portrait of Angela Guggerotti Fracastoro Oil/Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Saverio Dalla Rosa (Verona, Italy, 1745 - 1821) Title: Portrait of Angela Guggerotti Fracastoro Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 94 x 73 cm - with frame 105 x 94 cm Fr...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

John and Thomas Young
Located in Naples, Florida
Philippe Mercier (also spelled Philip Mercier; 1689 – 18 July 1760) born in Berlin, was an artist of French Huguenot descent from the German realm of Brandenburg-Prussia (later Kingd...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Portrait Of A Lady In A Lace Cap & Ruff, 17th Century 1640 Dutch School
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of A Lady In A Lace Cap & Ruff, 17th Century 1640 Dutch School 17th Century Dutch School portrait of a young lady wearing a lace cap and ruff, oil on panel. Excellent qual...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Portrait Johann Theodor Bavaria, Son of Prince Elector, by Joseph Vivien, Rococo
By Joseph Vivien
Located in Greven, DE
Portrait of Johann Theodor of Bavaria (1703-1763) by Joseph Vivien Johann Theodor of Bavaria (* September 3, 1703 in Munich; † January 27, 1763 in Lièg...
Category

18th Century Rococo Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bulldogs Hunting A Badger, 18th Century attributed to Charles TOWNE (1763-1840
Located in Blackwater, GB
Bulldogs Hunting A Badger, 18th Century attributed to Charles TOWNE (1763-1840) Large 18th Century English School hunting scene of Bulldogs Hunting a badger, oil on canvas laid to...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'The White Bonnet', Paris, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen Art Museum
By Henrik Schouboe
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Initialed lower left, 'H.S.' for Henrik Schouboe (Danish, 1876-1949) and painted circa 1915. Henrik Schouboe first studied at the Copenhagen's Royal Academy of Fine Arts from 1894-1901 and, from 1903-1910, in Italy and Paris. He was awarded numerous stipends and scholarships including the Larssen (1902-3) and the Akademie Scholarship in 1908. In 1906, he had exhibited for the first time at the Charlottenborg where his submitted entry was purchased by the leading Danish painter of the time, Kristian Zahrtmann, for his personal collection. Schouboe continued to exhibit both domestically and internationally for over thirty years and was the recipient of a variety of prizes, medals and juried awards including the purchase of his 1908 Charlottenborg entry, 'Young Couple in a Landscape', by the State Museum of Art for inclusion in the Danish national collection. Schouboe's work is held in the permanent collections of numerous museums including Copenhagen, Aabenraa, Maribo and the Aalborg Art Museums. We are pleased to offer a delicate and psychologically penetrating portrait of this beautiful and determined girl on the cusp of womanhood. Reference: Thieme-Becker Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zu Gengenwart, Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1992, Vol. 30, p. 269; E. Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Jacques Busse, 1999 Nouvelle Édition, Gründ 1911, Vol. 12, p. 520; Weilbach, Dansk Kunstnerleksikon, the Castle and Cultural Agency, Copenhagen; Dansk Kunst (Charlottenborg), 1927: Taf. 27, 1928: Taf. 38, 1929: Taf. 46; S. Michaëlis i: Art VII, 1905-06; Vilh. Wanscher i: Kunstbl. 1909-10, 71f; Harald Giersing...
Category

1910s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th century portrait painting of a clergyman Pieter Van Bleeck (follower)
Located in York, GB
18th century portrait painting of a clergyman Pieter Van Bleeck (follower) A fine late 18th century/early 19th century portrait oil on canvas three quarter length study of a clergyman The artist has managed to capture the gentle demeanour of the sitter. housed in a gilt frame by a follower of Pieter Van Bleeck the size being 58 x 69 cm approx whilst overall the picture is 76 x 90 cm In very good condition having been cleaned and relined at some point. Pieter Van Bleeck Petrus Johannes (Pieter) van Bleeck (baptized 25 June 1697 in The Hague – 20 July 1764 in London) was an 18th century Dutch portrait painter and mezzotint engraver active in London, where he moved in 1723. Van Bleeck is especially known for theatrical subjects such as Owen Swiny, Kitty Clive...
Category

Late 18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Of A Piedmont Nobleman & Military Officer, House Of Savoy, early 18th c
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of A Piedmont Nobleman & Military Officer, House Of Savoy, early 18th century Italian School Fine large 18th Century portrait of a Piedmont ...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of General John Churchill, Duke Of Marlborough The Battle Of Ramillies
By John Vanderbank
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of General John Churchill, The Duke Of Marlborough At The Battle Of Ramillies, 1706 by JOHN VANDERBANK THE YOUNGER (1694-1739) Large early 18...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th Century Venetian School Portrait of a Bishop Oil on Panel Green Brown Black
Located in Sanremo, IT
Painting oil on panel measuring 40 x 30 cm without frame and 48 x 38 with frame representing a great bishop of the Venetian school from the first half of the 18th century. Very curi...
Category

Early 18th Century Italian School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

18th Century Oil Painting Portrait of Phillip, 6th Viscount Wenman.
By Nathaniel Dance-Holland
Located in London, GB
Sir Nathaniel Dance-Holland (1750-1811) was an English portrait painter and one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. Justly celebrated in his lifetime he won several...
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

18th Century by Evangelista Schiano Saint Gennaro Oil on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Evangelista Schiano (attr.) (active in the 18th century) Title: Saint Gennaro Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 102 x 74 cm - with frame 126.5 x 100 cm 19th century car...
Category

Mid-18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Antique oil paining, A laughing man with an upturned glass, Dutch golden age
Located in DEVENTER, NL
Anonymous, 18th century Inspired by a painting by Petrus Staverenus (1610/1612 – 1654-07-28/1664-07-28) from a series of Five Senses 'Taste: A laughing man...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French School, Portrait of a Young Lady, Actress, Louis XIV sculpted frame, 1700
Located in Greven, DE
French School, Portrait of a Young Lady, perhaps an actress Oval Louis XIV sculpted and gilded frame French Art, Roccoco Art The oval portrait of a young woman measures 61 by 50,5 cm canvas sight size and its 18th century oak carved and gilded frame...
Category

18th Century Rococo Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of CLAUDE-LOUISE DE LORY (1706-1742), 18th Century
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of CLAUDE-LOUISE DE LORY (1706-1742), 18th Century French School Large 18th Century French portrait of a lady identified as Claude-Louise De Lory. Excellent quality and c...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait De La Fosse Rigaud Paint Oil on canvas 17/18th Century Old master Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Hyacinthe Rigaud (Perpignan 1659 - Paris 1743) attributable Portrait of the painter Charles de La Fosse (1636-1716) oil on canvas 60 x 52 cm/ In a beautiful frame cm. 113 x 78 The ...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

18th Century portrait oil painting of a gentleman
Located in Nr Broadway, Worcestershire
Follower of Enoch Seeman the Younger German, (1694-1744) Portrait of Gilbert Sympkin Oil on canvas Image size: 29.25 inches x 24.5 inches Size including frame: 38 inches x 33.25 inches A fine three quarter length portrait of a gentleman traditionally identified as Gilbert Simpkin (Sympkin), follower of Enoch Seeman the younger, C1720. The portrait is set in a feigned sculptured oval cartouche, a device used to give a sense of depth. The sitter is depicted wearing a fashionable blue jacket and matching waistcoat with a white chemise and lace jabot. He wears a powdered wig in the fashionable style of the day and is posed holding his hat under his left arm with the fingers of his right hand stretched out. At court, long fingers signified wealth, culture and intelligence. The painting has clearly been executed by an artist of great ability who has been influenced by Enoch Seeman the younger. Gilbert Simpkin (Sympkin) was born in London on 24 August 1683, the son of John Simpkin and Susannah Butler. His grandfather was also called Gilbert Simpkin. He entered Oxford University in 1700 where he studied at St John’s College. In 1702, he became a student of Middle Temple, which at the time was one of the world’s most important centres of legal education. He later settled in Plymouth and then Bristol. He died in Bristol on 15 May, 1744 and was buried at Bristol Cathedral. He remained unmarried and the portrait may well have been commissioned to commemorate when he was first Called to the Bar or perhaps had established his own practice. Enoch Seeman or Seemann the younger was born in Danzig, Germany now Gdansk, Poland in 1694. His father was Enoch Seeman Senior, an artist of Flemish origin and his brothers Isaac, Noah and Abraham also became artists. He came to London with his father and brothers around 1704 and established himself as a portrait artist. From 1717 he became painter to the Royal court painting...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th century diptych portraits man and woman American formal dress flower
By William Jennys
Located in Milwaukee, WI
The present pair of portraits would make an exceptional addition to any collection of early American art not only because they were painted by the notable William Jennys, but also because the sitters are members of notable and influential New England families. In addition, these pendants have impeccable provenance: they have never left ownership of the decedents of the Kimball family and this is the first time they have been available for purchase. David Kimball (1766-1848) and Nancy Stacy Kimball (1774-1844) were members of historic Massachusetts families. David Kimball is a sixth-generation decedent of Richard Kimball (d. 1675) and Ursula Scott (d. 1659), who emigrated from Rattlasden, Suffolk County, England to Watertown MA around 1634. The family then relocated in 1637 to Ipswich, the city with which the family is now most strongly identified, when Richard was appointed to be a wheelwright.[1] Nancy likewise had early New England ancestry, descended from Simon Stacy and Elizabeth Clark, who were married in London in 1620.[2] Nancy Stacy was the second wife of David Kimball, and the two were married in 1799. Given this, the present pendant portraits were likely completed shortly after the marriage. David had two children by his first wife Mary Morse, who died in September of 1798. David and Nancy would have nine additional children between 1801 and 1815.[3] Most notably, the couple were parents of the Boston politician and showman Moses Kimball (1809-1895).[2][3] Moses would found the Boston Museum, an early for-profit museum and theater opened in 1841 that resembled European curiosity cabinets: the museum displayed paintings of Thomas Scully and Charles Peale alongside Chinese artwork, stuffed animals, dwarves and mermaids. Alongside these exhibits, visitors could attend the theater which held performances by gymnasts and contortionists, followed by performances of Shakespeare and Dickens.[4] This museum set the model for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which when founded in 1870 held a similarly diverse collection and appealed to the interests of a diverse set of visitors.[5] Moreover, some Greek antiquities from Moses Kimball's museum were eventually given to the MFA and Moses donated approximately $5,000 to the MFA's endowment upon his death.[6][7] William Jennys (1774–1859), also known as J. William Jennys, is an important American primitive portrait...
Category

1790s Academic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Saint Martin de Porres
Located in New York, NY
Provenance: Private Collection, New York, until 2022. Martín de Porres was born in Lima in 1579, the illegitimate son of a Spanish-American father, J...
Category

Late 18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Girl, 18th Century Oil Old Master
By George Knapton
Located in London, GB
George Knapton 1698-1778 Portrait of a Girl Oil on canvas Image size: 20 x 18 inches Original giltwood frame This beautiful half length portrait  of a young woman, turned to left, gazing at the spectator, wearing a pink, white lace-embroidered, dress, in her hair a pink bonnet trimmed with lace to match her dress. The depiction of a young girl epitomises child portraiture of the late eighteenth century, in which painters such as William Beechey, Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough had begun to discover and express the true character of children, in contrast to the stiff, miniature-adults of previous generations. The Artist Knapton was born in Lymington, one of four sons of James Knapton. He was apprenticed to Jonathan Richardson from 1715 to 1722, and in 1720 was a founding subscriber to the academy of St. Martin's Lane established by Louis Chéron...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Dance Interlude, c. 1910-20
Located in Bryn Mawr, PA
Oil on board Provenance Estate of Marjorie MacMonnies Wysong (the artist's granddaughter); Hap Moore Auctions; Martin Ferrick Antiques Exhibitions Avery Galleries, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, American Women Artists: 1860–1960, October 13–November 10, 2017. Description During her expatriate career, between the mid-1880s and return to the United States in 1920, painter and muralist Mary Fairchild MacMonnies (later Low) was one of the most successful American women artists of her generation. Mary Fairchild was born in Connecticut, but was raised largely in St. Louis, Missouri. Inspired by her mother's work as a painter of miniatures and dissatisfied as a school teacher, she enrolled in the St. Louis School of Fine Arts, where she led a movement for women to be permitted to draw model posed in the nude, an important component of artistic training then considered improper for well-bred young women. Impressed by her talent and drive, the school's director, Halsey Ives...
Category

1910s American Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Young Boy Carrying a Fruit Basket, 18th Century Oil on Canvas
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas Image size: 30 x 25 inches (76 x 63.5 cm) Contemporary hand-carved frame This is a charming 18th century portrait of a young boy, sporting a golden child's two-piece w...
Category

18th Century English School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Ann Austen, nee Grey
Located in London, GB
Signed 'BDandridge/ pinxit' lower left Provenance By descent through the sitter's family to The Collection of R. W. Vivian-Neal of Poundisford Park, Somerset, from whom acquired by With Lane Fine Art, UK, where purchased by the present owners in 1996 Literature 'Poundisford Park, Somerset' in Country Life, 22 December 1934, ill. A.W. and C.M. Vivian-Neal, Poundisford Park, Somerset: A catalogue of pictures and furniture, Taunton 1939, cat. nos. 11 and 13 This is a portrait of Ann Austen, nee Grey, three-quarter-length seated in a landscape with her dog. Painted in a superb white satin dress, she holds horn spectacles and a spectacle case...
Category

Mid-18th Century English School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Of Monsieur De Cotte, circa 1710
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of Monsieur De Cotte, circa 1710 circle of Hyacinthe RIGAUD (1659-1743) - one of a pair Large circa 1710 French portrait of Monsieur De Cot...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Cupid Paint Oil on canvas France Neo classicism Art Quality Love 18th century
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Eighteenth-century French school Entourage de François Boucher (Paris 1703 - 1770) Cupid who shoots his arrow Oil on canvas, 48 ​​x 40 cm with frame 58 x 49 cm. The painting, of pl...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Antique Italian Genre Scene Oil Painting "Shoe Shiner" Cobbler Florentine Frame
Located in Portland, OR
A good antique Italian genre scene oil painting on canvas, Ezio Ricci (1885-1968), "The Shoe Shiner", circa 1910. The painting depicts a very happy older gentleman, who seems to be a cobbler and is polishing a boot. Ezio Ricci used this figure in many of his works, evidently it was someone he knew, maybe a family member? The painting is signed upper right and is housed in the original fine quality gilded & carved Florentine frame. Condition is very good, both the frame & painting are in very good condition. This finely rendered painting is ready to hang on your wall. 17" x 13" at sight without frame Born in Lucca, a pupil at the local Istituto di Belle Arti, Ezio Ricci showed an early talent for real life painting...
Category

1910s Italian School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Hunting dogs and a deer, British oil painting Richard ANSDELL 19Th c
Located in Gavere, BE
Hunting dogs and a deer, British oil painting Richard ANSDELL 19Th c Description Title: End of the run Materials: oil on canvas Signature: not signed Provenance: private collection...
Category

1780s Other Art Style Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Striking 18th Century Portrait of the 12th Earl of Caithness
Located in London, GB
Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823) James Sinclair, 12th Earl of Caithness (1766-1823) Oil on Canvas 30 X 25 inches Unframed 37 X 32 inches framed Sir Henry Raeburn FRSE RA RSA (4 March 1756 – 8 July 1823) was a Scottish portrait painter and Scotland's first significant portrait painter since the Union to remain based in Scotland. He served as Portrait Painter to King George IV in Scotland. Raeburn was born the son of a manufacturer in Stockbridge, on the Water of Leith: a former village now within the city of Edinburgh. He had an older brother, born in 1744, called William Raeburn. His ancestors were believed to have been soldiers, and may have taken the name "Raeburn" from a hill farm in Annandale, held by Sir Walter Scott's family. Orphaned, he was supported by William and placed in Heriot's Hospital, where he received an education. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to the goldsmith James Gilliland of Edinburgh, and various pieces of jewellery, mourning rings and the like, adorned with minute drawings on ivory by his hand, still exist. Soon he took to the production of carefully finished portrait miniatures; meeting with success and patronage, he extended his practice to oil painting, at which he was self-taught. Gilliland watched the progress of his pupil with interest, and introduced him to David Martin, who had been the favourite assistant of Allan Ramsay the Latter, and was now the leading portrait painter in Edinburgh. Raeburn was especially aided by the loan of portraits to copy. Soon he had gained sufficient skill to make him decide to devote himself exclusively to painting. George Chalmers (1776; Dunfermline Town Hall) is his earliest known portrait. In his early twenties, Raeburn was asked to paint the portrait of a young lady he had noticed when he was sketching from nature in the fields. Ann was the daughter of Peter Edgar of Bridgelands, and widow of Count James Leslie of Deanhaugh. Fascinated by the handsome and intellectual young artist, she became his wife within a month, bringing him an ample fortune. The acquisition of wealth did not affect his enthusiasm or his industry, but spurred him on to acquire a thorough knowledge of his craft. It was usual for artists to visit Italy, and Raeburn set off with his wife. In London he was kindly received by Sir Joshua Reynolds, the president of the Royal Academy, who advised him on what to study in Rome, especially recommending the works of Michelangelo, and gave Raeburn letters of introduction for Italy. In Rome he met his fellow Scot Gavin Hamilton, Pompeo Girolamo Batoni and Byers, an antique dealer whose advice proved particularly useful, especially the recommendation that "he should never copy an object from memory, but, from the principal figure to the minutest accessory, have it placed before him." After two years of study in Italy he returned to Edinburgh in 1787, and began a successful career as a portrait painter. In that year he executed a seated portrait of the second Lord President Dundas. Examples of his earlier portraiture include a bust of Mrs Johnstone of Baldovie and a three-quarter-length of Dr James Hutton: works which, if somewhat timid and tentative in handling and not as confident as his later work, nevertheless have delicacy and character. The portraits of John Clerk, Lord Eldin, and of Principal Hill of St Andrews belong to a later period. Raeburn was fortunate in the time in which he practised portraiture. Sir Walter Scott, Hugh Blair, Henry Mackenzie, Lord Woodhouselee, William Robertson, John Home, Robert Fergusson, and Dugald Stewart were resident in Edinburgh, and were all painted by Raeburn. Mature works include his own portrait and that of the Rev. Sir Henry Moncrieff Wellwood, a bust of Dr Wardrop of Torbane Hill, two full-lengths of Adam Rolland of Gask, the remarkable paintings of Lord Newton and Dr Alexander Adam in the National Gallery of Scotland, and that of William Macdonald of St Martin's. Apart from himself, Raeburn painted only two artists, one of whom was Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey, the most important and famous British sculptor of the first half of the 19th century. It has recently been revealed that Raeburn and Chantrey were close friends and that Raeburn took exceptional care over the execution of his portrait of the sculptor, one of the painter's mature bust-length masterpieces. It was commonly believed that Raeburn was less successful in painting female portraits, but the exquisite full-length of his wife, the smaller likeness of Mrs R. Scott Moncrieff in the National Gallery of Scotland, and that of Mrs Robert Bell, and others, argue against this. Raeburn spent his life in Edinburgh, rarely visiting London, and then only for brief periods, thus preserving his individuality. Although he, personally, may have lost advantages resulting from closer association with the leaders of English art, and from contact with a wider public, Scottish art gained much from his disinclination to leave his native land. He became the acknowledged chief of the school which was growing up in Scotland during the early 19th century, and his example and influence at a critical period were of major importance. So varied were his other interests that sitters used to say of him, "You would never take him for a painter till he seizes the brush and palette." In 1812 he was elected president of the Society of Artists in Edinburgh; and in 1814 associate, and in the following year full member, of the Royal Scottish Academy. On 29 August 1822 he was knighted by George IV and appointed His Majesty's limner for Scotland at the Earl of Hopetoun house. He died in Edinburgh. Raeburn had all the essential qualities of a popular and successful portrait painter. He was able to produce a telling and forcible likeness; his work is distinguished by powerful characterisation, stark realism, dramatic and unusual lighting effects, and swift and broad handling of the most resolute sort. David Wilkie recorded that, while travelling in Spain and studying the works of Diego Velázquez, the brushwork reminded him constantly of the "square touch" of Raeburn. Scottish physician and writer John Brown wrote that Raeburn "never fails in giving a likeness at once vivid, unmistakable and pleasing. He paints the truth, and he paints it with love". Raeburn has been described as a "famously intuitive"portrait painter. He was unusual amongst many of his contemporaries, such as Reynolds, in the extent of his philosophy of painting directly from life; he made no preliminary sketches. This attitude partly explains the often coarse modelling and clashing colour combinations he employed, in contrast to the more refined style of Thomas Gainsborough and Reynolds. However these qualities and those mentioned above anticipate many of the later developments in painting of the 19th century from romanticism to Impressionism. Sir Henry Raeburn died in St Bernard's House (17 St Bernards Crescent), Stockbridge, Edinburgh. He is buried in St. Cuthbert's churchyard against the east wall (the monument erected by Raeburn in advance) but also has a secondary memorial in the Church of St John the Evangelist, Edinburgh. James Sinclair, 12th Earl of Caithness was born at Barrogill Castle (Castle of Mey) on 31 May 1766. He was the son of Sir John Sinclair of Mey, Baronet who he succeeded in the baronetcy in 1774. He succeeded as 12th earl of Caithness in 1789. He was lord-lieutenant of the county of Caithness and lieutenant-colonel of the Ross-shire militia. He married at Thurso Castle on 2 January 1784 Jane, second daughter of Alexander Campbell...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Oil painting 'The Girl in The Red Dress' by William Frank Calderon (1865-1943)
Located in Uppingham, GB
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...
Category

1910s Art Nouveau Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

17th/18th century portrait , Circle Godfrey Kneller, wife, Earl of westmorland
By (Circle of) Godfrey Kneller
Located in York, GB
Portrait Circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller Bt. (British, 1646-1723) of Katharine, wife of Thomas, 6th Earl of Westmorland, oil on canvas late 17th early 18th century in date. The sitter Katharine is facing dexter and is wearing a cream dress, blue and gold cloak and lace mantilla...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

18th Century portrait oil painting of a boy
By Robert Byng
Located in Nr Broadway, Worcestershire
Circle of Robert Byng British, (1666-1720) Portrait of a Boy Oil on canvas Image size: 28.5 inches x 23.5 inches Size including frame: 34.5 inches x 29.5 inches A fine half-length ...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th Century portrait oil painting of a lady in an ermine trimmed cloak
Located in Nr Broadway, Worcestershire
Circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller Dutch, (1646-1723) Portrait of a Lady in an Ermine Trimmed Cloak Oil on canvas Image size: 26.5 inches x 22.5 inches Size including frame: 33.5 inches x 29.5 inches A well-executed half-length portrait of a lady painted in a feigned oval, circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller. The use of a feigned oval was a device used in portraiture to give a sense of depth and add an intimacy to the painting, drawing your attention to the sitter. The subject, posed without her wig in the undressed fashion of the day, wears a blue ermine trimmed blue cloak over a white silk robe...
Category

18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Gustav Klimt Sketch of a Woman Catalogued
Located in Dallas, TX
Gustav Klimt (Austrian, 1862-1918) Frauenkopf nach rechts, 1916 Pencil on paper Dimensions: 22.5 x 14.75 Inches (57.2 x 37.5 cm) (sheet) Stamped lower right: GUSTAV / KLIMT / NACHLAS...
Category

1910s Aesthetic Movement Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper

English 18th century portrait of a Lady and her Daughter in an interior
By (attributed to) Joseph Highmore
Located in Bath, Somerset
Portrait of a lady, three-quarter length, wearing a blue silk gown, seated in a classical interior, with her daughter in a pink gown standing beside her holding a sprig of blossom. T...
Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

!8th Century Portrait of a Dame French School Woman Oil on Canvas Gold Blue
Located in Sanremo, IT
Painting oil on canvas measuring 92 x 75 cm without frame and 102 x 87 cm with frame depicting a rich lady of the French school of the first half of the 18th century. In its formal ...
Category

Early 18th Century French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Roman Gods In An Allegory Of Love, 18th Century Italian School
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Roman Gods In An Allegory Of Love, 18th Century Italian School Large 18th Century Italian School "Allegory of Love" in a panorama of Roman Gods, o...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Girl with Book, 18th Century Regency Oil Painting
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas Image size: 28 3/4 x 24 inches (73 x 61 cm) Contemporary style gilt frame This portrait is an evocative example of Devis' Regency period portraiture, featuring a pleasant looking young girl holding a book in an outdoor setting. Working with a darker palette, a strongly accented diagonal recession, and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, Devis heightens the girl's three-dimensional physical presence in the foreground of the composition. The Artist  Arthur William Devis (10 August 1762 – 11 February 1822) was an English painter of history paintings and portraits. He painted portraits and historical subjects, sixty-five of which he exhibited (1779–1821) at the Royal Academy. Among his more famous works are a depiction of the Death of Nelson and a posthumous portrait of Nelson. Devis was born in London, the nineteenth child of the artist Arthur Devis and his wife Elizabeth Faulkner. Devis was the younger brother of the painter Thomas Anthony Devis (1757–1810) and of the schoolmistress and grammarian Ellin Devis (1746–1820), teacher, among others, of author of Maria Edgeworth and Frances Burney (later novelist Madame d'Arblay). He followed his elder brother Thomas Anthony in becoming a pupil at the Royal Academy Schools in 1774 and like his brother exhibited at the Free Society of Artists, of which in 1768 their father had become president, and at the Royal Academy. Early on he came to the notice of Sir Joshua Reynolds. He was appointed draughtsman on the British East India Company's packet Antelope in a voyage in 1783, under Captain Henry Wilson. In her he was injured in an encounter with Papuans near the Schouten Islands and was then wrecked on the Pelew Islands before proceeding to Canton and thence to Bengal. During his voyages, the artist received arrow wounds, one of which inflicted permanent injury on his lower jaw. During his time in Bengal, he painted a portrait of Sir William Jones, at the time a judge in Fort William. The painting now hangs at the British Library. He was back in London by 1795 and is recorded on 21 July 1797 as living at 27 George Street, Hanover Square, where he was insured by the Sun Assurance Office. He is noted for his involvement in the creation of the posthumous cult of Horatio Nelson. As she returned from Trafalgar, Devis went out to meet HMS Victory and was present on board the ship during the autopsy of Nelson's body conducted by Dr Beatty, the ship's surgeon. With the help of sketches he took at that time, he painted a heroic Death of Nelson, which proved a sensation. Devis also painted Dr Beatty, and was commissioned by him to produce a half-length painting of Nelson as vice-admiral, which he lent to Emma Hamilton (who later lost it in an accident whilst travelling). Either the original or a copy of this portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy two years after the Battle and many copies were made of it. Lord Howe owned one, and another ended up in the collection of the National Maritime Museum. It also appeared as an engraving in Beatty's published account of Nelson's death. Other work includes a portrait of King George III on horseback, and a range of portraits of admirals and generals, along with historical subjects, such as the Babington Plot and the signing of the Magna Carta...
Category

18th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of John Parker, 1st Lord Boringdon (1735-1788), 18th century
By Joshua Reynolds
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of John Parker, 1st Lord Boringdon (1735-1788), 18th century School of Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) Large 18th portrait of John Parker, 1st Lord Boringdon, oil on canvas. E...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Family Portrait Of Mrs Spencer & Children, 18th Century
By Sir William Beechey
Located in Blackwater, GB
Family Portrait Of Mrs Spencer & Children, 18th Century circle of William BEECHEY (1753-1839) Huge 18th Century English School portrait of a lady trad...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th Century Portrait of a Gentleman French School Man Oil on Canvas Blue White
Located in Sanremo, IT
Painting, oil on canvas, measuring 92 x 75 cm without frame and 102 x 87 cm with frame depicting a nobleman of the French school of the first half of the 18th century. In its formal...
Category

Early 18th Century French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a woman with red jacket trimmed with fur and braid German School.
Located in Firenze, IT
Portrait of a woman with red jacket trimmed with fur and braid German School, late 18th - early 19th century Oil on canvas, 64 × 48 cm Gilded wooden frame, not original Dressed in a...
Category

Late 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

20th century oil painting portrait realism male subject dark background signed
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Signed lower right by the artist. Francesco J. Spicuzza, born in Sicily on July 23, 1883, came to America at the age of 8. He supported himself as a fruit peddler until a newspaperman gave him $4 a week to go to school. He attended classes at the Milwaukee Art Students League, where he studied under Alexander Mueller. There he learned to paint in the then-fashionable "Munich School" technique, with detailed realism in heavy browns and grayed-out hues. Spicuzza completed eight grades in four years, and then in 1911, three businessmen advanced him enough money to allow him to study in New York under artist and teacher John Carlson. It was during this time that Spicuzza changed his style of painting, developing an impressionistic use of color, form and atmospheric renditions. After a period of grinding poverty, one of Spicuzza's pictures won a major New York competition. It was the first of 60 wins, both in the U.S. and Paris. He became a fashionable painter, and many of the leading collections have his work. Spicuzza's typical works were beach scenes, still life, landscapes and portraits done in pastels, oils, ink, charcoal and watercolors. Much of his work traced the history of Milwaukee in the early 1900s. He was probably best known for his scenes of women and children splashing in the waves...
Category

1910s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Of A Wet Nurse & Baby, 17th Century
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of A Wet Nurse & Baby, 17th Century Rare & Unusual English School Portrait Large 17th Century English School portrait of a wet nurse and baby breastfeeding, oil on canva...
Category

18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Self Portrait of Schildbach, Court Painter Schildbach, Gotha, Convex Copper
Located in Greven, DE
Christian Schildbach was a very talented artist with his own style. Art painter in Plauen, then court painter in Dresden; around 1706 art painter in Vienna, also active in Bamberg (...
Category

18th Century Baroque Portrait Paintings

Materials

Copper

20th century oil painting portrait realism female subject dark background signed
Located in Milwaukee, WI
Signed lower right by the artist. Francesco J. Spicuzza, born in Sicily on July 23, 1883, came to America at the age of 8. He supported himself as a fruit peddler until a newspaperman gave him $4 a week to go to school...
Category

1910s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl Of Mornington, circa 1800
By Sir Thomas Lawrence
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait of William Wellesley-Pole, 3rd Earl Of Mornington, circa 1800 Circle of Sir Thomas LAWRENCE (1769-1830) Large circa 1800 English Regency portrait traditionally identified ...
Category

Late 18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of A Gentleman & His Estate, Attributed to Arthur Devis, 18th Century
By Arthur Devis
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of A Gentleman & His Estate, 18th Century attributed to Arthur DEVIS (1712-1787) One of a matching pair - the other is believed to be the brother Large 18th century Eng...
Category

18th Century English School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French School, Portrait of a Lady, Actress, Young Woman, French , Rococo, Oval
Located in Greven, DE
French Art Rococo Portrait of a Woman, Young Lady, perhaps an actress
Category

18th Century Rococo Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Portrait Paintings for Sale on 1stDibs

An elegant and sophisticated decorative touch in any living space, portrait paintings have remained popular throughout the years and are widely loved pieces of art for display in many homes today.

Portrait paintings are at least as old as ancient Egypt, where realistic, lifelike depictions of the recently deceased — commonly known as “mummy portraits” — were painted on wooden panels and affixed to mummies as part of the burial tradition.

For centuries, painters have used portraiture as a means of expressing a subject’s nobility, societal status and authority. Portraits were given as gifts in Renaissance Europe, and a portrait artist might have been commissioned to help mark a significant occasion such as a wedding or a promotion to high office. Prior to the advent of photography, which eventually replaced painted portraits as a quicker and more efficient way of capturing a person’s essence, the subject of a portrait had to sit for hours until the painter had finished. And during the 18th century in particular, if an artist commissioned for a portrait struggled with how to adequately memorialize and capture a subject’s likeness, sometimes a portrait painting wasn’t completed for up to a year.

Whether it’s part of the gallery-style approach to your living-room or dining-room walls or merely inspiration as you devise an eye-grabbing color scheme in your home, a portrait painting is a timeless decorative object for any interior. A landscape painting or sculpture might give you the kind of insight into a specific region of the world or a different culture that you can ascertain only through art. Similarly, when you take the time to learn about the subject of a portrait painting that you bring into your home — the sitter’s history, the relationship between the sitter and the artist should one exist, the story of how the portrait came to be — that work can become intensely personal in addition to its place as an object for an art-hungry corner of your apartment or house.

On 1stDibs, visit a vast collection of famous portrait paintings or works by emerging artists. Search by medium to find the right portrait paintings for your home in oil paint, synthetic resin paint and more. Find portrait paintings in a variety of styles, too, including contemporary, Impressionist and Pop art, or search by artist to find unique works created by painters such as Mark Beard, Steve Kaufman and Montse Valdés.

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