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Portrait Paintings For Sale
Period: 19th Century
Period: 1920s
German Miniature of Young Lady in a Fancy Hat
Located in New Orleans, LA
This charming German miniature painting, created of oil on copper, depicts a young woman wearing a large and lavish hat. With dark, braided hair and blue eyes, the sitter's cheerful ...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Copper

Portrait of Shepherd Boy with Dog late 19th Century Framed Oil Painting
Located in Stockholm, SE
This young shepherd clearly didn't want to pose for the artist, but something caught his attention, and in this expression and look, the artist masterfully depicted the whole range o...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Oil

After Rembrandt "The Prodigal Son in the Tavern" Old Master Style Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
After Rembrandt "The Prodigal Son in the Tavern" Old Master Style Painting Late 19th century - Early 20th century Oil on Canvas 36.75 x 44.5 unframed 40.5" x 48.5" framed
Category

Late 19th Century Dutch School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Poet Sappho - 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite Oil Painting Beauty Ancient Greece
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Melancholic Sappho’ by Arthur Hill RBA (1841-1908). The painting – which depicts the celebrated poet of Ancient Greece appealing to the Goddess Aphrodite, with the Parthenon on the...
Category

1870s Pre-Raphaelite Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Mid 19th Century English Oil Painting Portrait of a Lady in Lace Bonnet
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Country Lady English artist, mid 19th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 30 x 25 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: some former restoration and s...
Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

ORIGINAL 1860 Famous American Artist Henry Peters Gray (1819-1877) oil on canvas
By Henry Peters Gray
Located in Palm Coast, FL
Up for sale is an amazing original antique oil painting on canvas by Famous American Artist Henry Peters Gray (1819-1877), depicting a portrait of a W.P. Wright Esq. Some of his paintings are exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York. The painting has a commemorative inscription on the verso: "For W.P. Wright Esq. Portrait from Henry Peter Gray. Painted at Pittsfield MA August 1860. Please read some interesting information about this Artist from Wikipedia. Henry Peters Gray was born in New York City he was a pupil of Daniel Huntington...
Category

1860s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Girl with a pen
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas
Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th Century French Realist Oil Profile Portrait of Lady Beautiful Quality
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French realist artist of the 19th century oil painting on board, unframed board: 12.5 x 10.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Academic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Large Victorian Portrait of Country Gentlemen Squire Oil Painting on Canvas
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
English artists, circa 1870 oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 36 x 31 inches canvas : 30 x 25 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: overall very good and pr...
Category

1870s Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Antique Italian Portrait of Old Fisherman with Pipe Characterful Chap
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of an Elderly Fisherman Italian School, 19th century oil on canvas, framed Framed: 14 x 12 inches Canvas: 10.5 x 9 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: several s...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th century portrait military officer 5th Royal Lancashire Militia, East Lancs
Located in York, GB
A fine 19th century oil on canvas portrait stated to be Captain Paul John Henry Butler, 5th Royal Lancashire Militia, half length, wearing breast star. Hou...
Category

19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Oil Portrait of a Victorian Lady, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Painted in the 19th century, this exquisite miniature portrait wonderfully exemplifies realism in traditional oil painting. The small artwork is painted in the conventional portraiture style of the Old Masters, and achieves soft realism with fine brushwork and a subdued, neutral palette. The half length portrait depicts a fine Victorian woman dressed in all black with a delicate lace collar and bonnet. She wears a ruby broach...
Category

Mid-19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, 19th century English portrait of a dogs head
By George Earl
Located in Woodbury, CT
!9th century English portrait of a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel Wonderful portrait study of this very popular breed of dog. Dating from the middle of the 19th century this piece...
Category

1860s Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique French Impressionist Signed Oil Painting Portrait of Young Man
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Young Man French School, late 19th century indistinctly signed top right, 'Valadon'? oil on canvas, framed framed: 30 x 28 inches canvas: 26 x 21 inches private collect...
Category

Late 19th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Mid Victorian English Oil Painting Portrait of a Lady with Necklace framed
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Victorian Lady English artist, circa 1870's period oil on canvas, framed framed: 27 x 21 inches canvas: 18 x 14 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: ove...
Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th Century Oil - Lady In Mourning Clothes
Located in Corsham, GB
In need of full restoration. Unsigned. On canvas.
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

English School 19th Century Oil - Lady In A Lace Collared Dress
Located in Corsham, GB
A charming portrait depicting a lady in classic Victorian attire with a lace-collared dress, elaborate gold brooch with a chain and a choker with a heart pendant. Unsigned. Presented...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Large 19th Century French Portrait of Lady with Roses & Smart Dress oil painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Lady French School, 19th century oil on canvas, framed framed: 34 x 29 inches canvas: 30 x 25 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sou...
Category

19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Two Girls
Located in Milford, NH
A beautiful full portrait of two girls, possibly the artist's daughters, with spring flowers by British American artist Hamilton Hamilton (1847-1928). Hamilton was born in Oxford, En...
Category

Late 19th Century American Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique Paris School Early 1900's French Impressionist Portrait Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique French impressionist portrait oil painting of two young girls. Oil on board. No signature found. Framed. Image size, 10L x 18H.
Category

1920s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique English Elegant Moonlit Young Woman Portrait Framed 19th C Rare Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Antique English portrait painting. Watercolor and gouache on paper. Framed. Measuring 17 by 23 inches overall and 10 by 15 painting alone.
Category

1890s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Large Antique American Bahamian Young Woman Portrait Signed Rare Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Really rare and well painted portrait by Christine Walters Martin (1895-1982). Oil on canvas. Framed in a nice modernist molding. Signed. Artist Bio: Christine Walters Martin (1895-1982) Born and raised in Brooklyn, Christine Martin majored in art at Columbia University/Teachers College. She spent summers painting at the Woodstock Art Colony under the tutelage of artists there and continued her art studies at the Art Student's League in New York City. Over the years, her teachers included John Sloan, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Alexander Brook and John McFee. She also studied with Eugene Speicher, who recommended her for Portraits Inc, through which some of his own commissions came. Much later in life, in her 80s, Christine studied watercolor with Zoltan Szabo. Before marrying attorney George Martin in 1923, she taught art in the New York public schools for several years. During summers in the late 1920s, after having two daughters (Cynthia, 1924-2008, and Joan, 1927-2000), she went to Woodstock with her girls in tow, staying at the Hasbrook farm. In 1930, she and her husband purchased a stone house on Ohayo Mountain Road and lived there seasonally for 25 years. Among her closest artist friends in Woodstock were Emil Ganso, Florence Hardiman, Albert Heckman, Peggy Dodds, Joe Rollo, Henry Mattson, Mary Ellen Early, and Maud and Miska Petersham, along with Juliana Force (Whitney Museum). During many summers in Woodstock, Christine's daughters Cynthia and Joan kept up their serious piano studies under the tutelage of Vladimir Padwa and Inez Carroll. Known for portraits and landscapes, she was a member of the National Association of Women Artists and the National Arts Club, Gramercy Park, NY. Her work showed at the National Arts Club, Weyhe and Preston Galleries and the National Academy of Design in New York; the Pennsylvania Academy in Philadelphia; the Woodstock Art Association and Rudolf Galleries in Woodstock, Vermont's Dawson Grist Mill Gallery, and South Hampton College, among others. Her portraits, landscapes and still lives hang in hundreds of homes around the world. Information provided by Bunny McBride...
Category

1920s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Anyone for Croquet" Herbert Gustave Schmalz, Portrait by Pre-Raphaelite Artist
Located in New York, NY
Herbert Gustave Schmalz Anyone for Croquet, circa 1898 Signed lower right Oil on canvas 47 5/8 x 31 3/4 inches Provenance Anthony Mitchell, Nottingham Burlington Gallery Ltd., Londo...
Category

1890s English School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

British Portrait of Two English Children Dog - Circle Sir William Beechey
Located in Miami, FL
This charming portrait is a statement piece for any space. The two elegantly handsome sitters are brother and sister and are accompanied by their loyal dog. With 18th and 19th centu...
Category

Early 1800s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Brandenberg - German School Oil, Portrait of Anna Katherina Herrman
Located in Corsham, GB
This late 19th-century portrait depicts a figure in dark clothing against a muted brown background, creating a stark contrast that draws focus to the subject's expressive features. I...
Category

Late 19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Mid-Century Impressionist Portrait of an Elderly Woman Seated with Oranges
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of an Elderly Woman Simone Forge 1930's French Impressionist oil on canvas unframed canvas: 18 x 15 inches Provenance: private collection Condition: great condition For mo...
Category

Early 19th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ballerinas putting on their Shoes - French Impressionist art oil painting ballet
Located in London, GB
This lovely Belgian Impressionist figurative oil painting is by noted artist Henri Moreau. Although Belgian by birth, Moreau spent many years in France, moving to Paris in 1920 and o...
Category

1920s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th century English portrait of a Collie Dog seated in an Interior
Located in Woodbury, CT
This charming portrait of a Collie dog by Frederick French, painted circa 1896, captures the loyal and calm nature of one of the most beloved breeds. French's delicate attention to d...
Category

1890s Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'Cardinal in His Though' by Georges Croegaert ( Antwerp 1848 - 1923 Paris )
Located in Knokke, BE
Georges Croegaert Antwerp 1848 – 1923 Paris Belgian – French Painter 'Cardinal in His Thoughts' Signature: signed lower right and placed ‘Georges Croegaert Paris’ Medium: oil on pa...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

19th Century French Impressionist Portrait Oil Painting of Young Paris Beauty
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Jeune Fille en Blanc’ by Jacques-Émile Blanche (1861-1942). The painting – which depicts one of the artist’s favourite models Wanda Zielinska – is signed and dated 1896. It is lis...
Category

Late 19th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Spanish School 19th century, Santa Justa and Santa Rufina, oil on canvas
Located in Paris, FR
Spanish School of the 19th Century Santa Justa and Santa Rufina Oil on canvas 40 x 27 cm In quite good condition, the paint surface presents numerous crack...
Category

1840s Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th century Portrait of A Young Noble Girl by Giacomo GROSSO (1860-1938)
Located in Blackwater, GB
"Ritratto Di Nobildonna", 19th Century by Giacomo GROSSO (1860-1938) sales to $75,000 Large 19th Century Italian portrait of a young noble lady, oil on board by Giacomo Grosso. Exc...
Category

Late 19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

1947 Expressionist Oil Painting Flute Player Musician Boris Deutsch WPA Artist
Located in Surfside, FL
Boris Deutsch (American Lithuanian Russian, 1892-1978) "The Flute Player," 1947 Oil paint on canvas, Hand signed and dated upper left, Provenance: gallery label (Pasadena Art Museu...
Category

1920s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

19th Century Oil, Study for a Portrait of Emile Baron
Located in Cotignac, FR
A late 19th century oil sketch of a society figure. Though not signed the work is by repute and very much in the style of Charles Auguste Émile Durand. Presented in modern gilt and p...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

French School 19th Century, Portrait of a young man, 1891, signed and dated
Located in Paris, FR
French School of the 19th century Portrait of a young man, 1891 Signed (illegible) and dated 91 on the lower right Oil on canvas 46 x 38 cm Framed 52 x 44 In good condition, recently...
Category

1890s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Sculptor
By Andrea Del Sarto
Located in Douglas, Isle of Man
After Andrea Del Sarto 1486 - 1530, who was an Italian Renaissance painter and draughtsman. Del Sarto worked in Fresco decorating, portrait painting and as a painter of alter pieces,...
Category

Mid-19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Very Large 1840s English Portrait of a Country Gentleman Holding Times Newspaper
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"The Corn Bill" English Artist, circa 1840's oil on canvas, framed in antique gilt scrolled and swept frame framed: 45 x 37 inches canvas: 36 x 28 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very good and sound condition; please note the frame is very vulnerable and fragile and as such we are happy to include it free of charge with the painting but cannot warranty its condition on arrival. Historically significant portrait of this early Victorian...
Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

19th Century Portrait Miniature, Young Man in Blue Coat
Located in San Francisco, CA
19th Century Portrait Miniature, Young Man in Blue Coat As is
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

An Exceptional Quality Orientalist Portrait of "A Moorish Chief"
Located in New York, NY
An Exceptional Quality Orientalist Portrait of "A Moorish Chief from Algeria", circa 1880. Oil on canvas painting depicting a Moorish chief / gu...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Falling Asleep While Spinning Yarn
Located in Fredericksburg, VA
"Falling Asleep While Spinning Yarn" by Louis Edwarmay is a captivating piece that beautifully captures the quietude and exhaustion of daily labor. The painting portrays a woman in t...
Category

Mid-19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Portrait of a Young Prince, 19th c., by Mystery Artist
Located in New York, NY
Mystery Artist Untitled (Young Prince), c. 1800-1900 Oil on canvas 16 x 13 in. Framed: 23 x 19 1/2 x 2 in.
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Interior with Five Children - Oil Painting on Canvas - 19th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Interior with Five Children is an original oil painting on canvas applied on panel. This painting has been realized between the end of the 19th century ...
Category

19th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

19th century portrait of a spaniel dog in a landscape, a country house beyond
By Charles Bilger Spalding
Located in Bath, Somerset
A 19th century black and white spaniel standing in a landscape, with a country house in the distance. Signed C B Spalding, lower right. Oil on canvas in a giltwood frame. Charles B...
Category

19th Century English School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Gentleman with Cigar Large 19th Century British Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Gentleman with a Cigar English artist, mid 19th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 30 x 25 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: overall good a...
Category

Mid-19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Day Dreams by British Artist Richard Willes Maddox
Located in Stockholm, SE
Description: "Day Dreams" is a captivating painting by the English artist Richard Willes Maddox. The artwork depicts a young woman seated thoughtfully on a blue wooden bench, set aga...
Category

19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Portrait of a Lady Sewing - British 19th century art Newlyn School oil painting
Located in London, GB
This beautiful late 19th century portrait oil painting is attributed to circle of Walter Langley. It has the hallmarks of the Newlyn School of artists such as the subject matter, com...
Category

1890s Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Jeune paysanne tricotant auprès de l’âtre
Located in Barbizon, FR
Oil on canvas. 56x46.5 cm.Signed lower right, dated 1860 Provenance : - Gift of the artist to Monsieur Allou in March 1861- Sale by Allou and Ehrlier in February 1872 (Galerie George...
Category

19th Century Barbizon School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

After Francisco Goya "Osuna Family" Oil on Canvas
Located in Astoria, NY
After Francisco Goya (Spanish, 1746-1828), "The Duke and Duchess of Osuna and Their Children", Oil on Canvas, 19th century, unsigned, giltwood frame. Image: 25.5" H x 17.5" W; frame:...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Renaissance Style Italian Old Master Painting Madonna & Child Tender Embrace
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
19th/ early 20th Century Italian School Madonna and Child oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 32 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, UK co...
Category

Late 19th Century Renaissance Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Antique German Female Portrait oil Painting 1891
Located in Douglas Manor, NY
5055 Antique German female oil portrait in a period frame on board Signed T.H.Fischem Berlin 91 Image size 19.5x16.5"
Category

1890s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Old Woman 1893 by Famous Russian Master Oil Painting on Canvas Frame
Located in Stockholm, SE
Attributed by Nikolay Alekseyevich Kasatkin (1859 - 1930). In this touching artwork, the artist perfectly conveyed the character of the old woman, who has seen a lot in her life. The hands, tired out and riddled with veins, lie helplessly on the knees. Her slouched body tells us about the load of years lived. The painter skillfully conveys a sense of wisdom, kindness, and humility through her wrinkled face and detached gaze. The painting exudes warmth with a subtle touch of sadness and reflection on a life lived. Thanks to moderately contrasting colors, the portrait comes to life and shows us the depth of the artist's intention. Kasatkin not only continued the traditions of the best masters of portraiture in Russia in the 19th century, but also introduced new principles into it. He sought to display on canvas not only the external features of a person, but also to demonstrate his spiritual world. Antique oil painting on canvas, signed bottom left, framed. Size app.: 68.5 x 52.3 cm (roughly 27 x 20.6 in), frame is 80.5 x 63.5 cm (roughly 31.7 x 25 in). Very good condition, very well preserved recently conserved condition with minimal wear (notice few micro losses here and there). Please study good resolution images for cosmetic condition. In person actual painting may appear darker or brighter than in our pictures, strictly depending on sufficient light in your environment. Weight of app. 5.4 kg is going to measure 8 kg packed for shipment. Nikolay Alekseyevich Kasatkin (1859 - 1930) was a Russian painter, considered to be one of the founders of Social Realism in Russia. From 1873 to 1883 he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture with Vasily Perov and Illarion Pryanishnikov. Upon graduating, he received a medal for his painting "Beggars at the Church Door". In 1891, he began exhibiting with the Peredvizhniki and, from 1894 to 1917, was a teacher at his alma mater. For thirty years, beginning in 1883, he worked with Ivan Sytin, providing illustrations for his popular almanac/calendars and teaching lithography. He also contributed The Great Reform, an encyclopedia that celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Emancipation (1861), and a collection called "Russian History in Pictures". In 1903, he became a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He participated in the Exposition Universelle (1900), where he won a silver medal, and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904), among others. In 1923, following the Civil War, he was named the first "People's Artist of the Republic" and became a member of the AKhRR (Association of Artists). He is considered to be one of the forerunners of Socialist Realism in the arts and was sometimes called the "Gorky of Painters". In 1956, the Soviet Union honored him with a 40 kopeck commemorative postage stamp. In 1971, his painting of a female mine worker...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Oil

Antique Early American Southern Hudson River School Boys Swimming Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare early American sunset Hudson River School swimming hole painting. Framed. Oil on board. Image size, 7.25H by 10L.
Category

1860s Hudson River School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

19th century portrait painted in St Petersburg in 1819
Located in London, GB
Signed, inscribed and dated, lower right: 'Geo Dawe RA St Petersburgh 1819', also signed with initials, lower centre: 'G D RA'; and signed and inscribed verso: 'Geo Dawe RA Pinxit 1819 St Petersburgh'; Also inscribed on the stretcher by Cornelius Varley with varnishing instructions. Collections: Private collection, UK, 2010 Literature: Galina Andreeva Geniuses of War, Weal and Beauty: George Dawe...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Dipinto figurativo italiano ritratto di nudo maschile del XIX secolo
By Michele Cammarano
Located in Florence, IT
Sebbene atteggiato in una delle pose convenzionali adottate in Accademia per l’esercitazione della copia dal nudo, il modello anziano qui ritratto è indagato con tale sensibilità ana...
Category

1860s Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Profile of a young boy
Located in Genève, GE
Work on cardboard Golden wooden frame 42 x 34 x 3.5 cm
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th Century French Symbolist Oil Painting Sketch of Artists Nude Model Posing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Artists Model French School, late 19th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 20 x 17.5 inches provenance: private collection, France condition: very good and sound condition
Category

Late 19th Century Symbolist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Painting portrait florentine impressionist figurative historical landscape
Located in Florence, IT
The painting (measures 89.5 x 124 cm; with gilded and carved wooden frame 126 x 158 cm) is an example of unfinished, as can be deduced from the background in which, in some parts, th...
Category

Late 19th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Giuseppina Bonaparte
Located in Genève, GE
Work on cardboard Black wooden frame with glass pane 16.4 x 13.2 x 2 cm
Category

Mid-19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

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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