Skip to main content

Portrait Paintings

to
950
983
869
999
518
466
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
778
1,275
8,779
125
89
182
211
155
234
304
210
267
369
703
636
283
188
148
140
86
71
62
21
13
9
1
1
2,984
723
110
3,067
1,959
1,708
1,089
1,082
711
485
435
380
179
159
131
121
110
80
61
58
57
53
50
3,590
2,928
1,335
1,306
424
50
34
31
25
24
1,953
204
2,113
1,678
Portrait Paintings For Sale
Period: 20th Century
Period: 1960s
Nu Bleu III
Located in Naples, Florida
Category

20th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Lady Portrait by Alexandre de Spengler - Oil on canvas 46x38 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Alexandre de Spengler (1893–1973) was a Swiss painter and engraver active in Geneva and Paris. He is known for his land and seascapes, as well as...
Category

1940s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Half-length portrait of an elderly bearded man - Melancholy of a prophet -
Located in Berlin, DE
Friedrich August Seitz (1902 Staffort - 1944 Belgrade). Half-length portrait of an elderly man with a beard. Oil on canvas, 42 x 34 cm (visible seize), 58 x 50 cm (frame), signed and...
Category

1920s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

'Portrait of Future Man', German School
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of Future Man', oil on board, Berlin School, (circa 1960s). A thoroughly modern portrait clearly in the style of Italian Futurist, Fortunato Depero (1892-1960). Futurism co...
Category

1960s Futurist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Original 1920's/ 30's Portrait of Elegant Young Society Lady Exquisite Drawing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of an Elegant Lady original pencil drawing on paper by Marjorie Schiele (1913-2008) *see notes below signed piece of paper is 12 x 9.5 inches In good condition, though with ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Pencil, Crayon

Nude Viewed from the Back
Located in London, GB
'Nude Viewed from the Back', oil on canvas, by Charles Kvapil (1937). The world of art has for centuries depicted nudes in one form or another. Kvapil's wonderfully alluring versions may likely be inspired by Courbet and Cézanne. This nude appears on a chair with her back to the artist and viewer. There are plush reds, sensuous pinks and darker, patterned curtains...
Category

1930s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fine British Aristocratic Portrait of a Nobleman Lord Jeffreys of Wem
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of Lord Jeffreys of Wem British School, 20th century (presumably after an earlier work) oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 30.5 x 24.5 inches canvas: 26 x 20 inches prov...
Category

20th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

1950's Symbolist Portrait Young Figure in Exotic Green Cloak
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Symbolist Portrait signed by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century) original oil on artist paper, mounted in a card frame overall size: 31.5 x 20 inches painting size: 27.5 x 18 inc...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

1930s Oil on Canvas Portrait of the Artist's Son
Located in Cotignac, FR
1930s Oil on canvas portrait by S Cousin. The painting is signed bottom right and the subject 'Henri Cousin' titled on the back of the canvas. An engaging ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, 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

1930's French Oil Painting Introspective Portrait of a Woman in Deep Thought
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Woman in Thought French School, early 20th century indistinctly signed oil on board, glass covering framed (please note the frame is a modern example) framed: 13 x 9 in...
Category

Early 20th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Nuturing
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Jean Dominique Van Caulert, (1897-1979), although most often associated with his celebrity portraits and works for the theater, he was also a true symbolist in the tradition of the Belgian symbolist's. "The Nurturing", oil on canvas, dated 1947, is Van Caulert's depiction of the nurturing of post war Europe, as the shrouded woman offers an apple to an androgynous figure.
Category

1940s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Woman with fan mixed media painting
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Jordi Curós Ventura (1930-2007) - Woman Mixed technique on canvas board. Work measurements 35x27 cm. Frame size 40x32 cm. Jordi Curós Ventura (Olot, Girona, March 4, 1930) is a Span...
Category

1970s Fauvist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Antique American Opera Scene Signed Rare Illustration Framed Genre Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Incredible early American illustration of an opera scene by Richard W. Baldwin (1920 - 2012) . Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.
Category

1940s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Christ Pantocrator after an Russian icon of the 15th Century
Located in Segovia, ES
Christ Pantocrator after a Russian icon of the 15th Century. Tempera and gold leaf on gesso over a wooden board. Measurements in centimeters: 38 x 29.5 x 3 cm. / In inches: 14.96 x 11.8 x 1.18 " This is how the artist sums up the technique used by him to create the icon: “The aim of these steps is to create a durable painting. The icon is eternal. The first step is to choose a support, traditionally made of wood, from the center of the trunk to avoid warping it. For this purpose, two hardwood bolts were often used on the back to give the picture panel additional stability. Often a frame is milled out. Then the image carrier is sanded smooth and now 12 or 14 thin layers of gesso are applied and sanded smooth as well. Then the preliminary drawing is applied and the drawing board is prepared with a special preparation called bolus. This bolus can be polished to a high gloss. Afterwards, the gold leaf is "shot" with special brushes. It dries up within a few hours and can now be polished with agate. Gold leaf is real 24-carat gold. Now does the actual process of painting begins. Egg tempera is made fresh from egg yolk, water, and a little vinegar. This is used to prepare the color pigments. Tempera painting is done in numerous layers from dark to light. When the icon is finished, it is left to dry for a few months and varnished with a special varnish called Olifa made from boiled linseed oil and other ingredients”. ABOUT THE ARTIST Oliver Samsinger (Vienna, 1968) began to take an interest in icons in 1990. He undertakes several trips to Bulgaria, Greece, and Cyprus to see in situ the original works treasured in these three countries. This experience will be crucial in his life since the studies carried out in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, and his stay on Mount Athos...
Category

1990s Byzantine Portrait Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Sailors in the Port of Nice
Located in London, GB
'Sailors in the Port of Nice', mixed media - gouache, pastel and oil on paper, by Alfred Salvignol (circa 1950s). The Port of Nice is one of the key hubs of Nice and, in fact, of the entire French Riviera, standing out as one of the main harbours for the boats which sail across the Mediterranean Sea. It accommodates both the ships operated by ferry companies and the private yachts of visitors who come to Nice by sea. The artist here depicts a group of crusty sailors watching...
Category

1950s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Oil, Gouache

Aljean Stewart Hunt, Portait of a Distinguished Woman, Blonde, Fur Coat
Located in Grand Rapids, MI
Erling Roberts (American, 1902 - 1974) Signed: Erling Roberts 1939 (Left, Center) " Aljean Stewart Hunt ", 1939 Oil on Canvas 40" x 28" Housed in its original 3" Period Frame O...
Category

Mid-20th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Harlequin and Ballerina by Vivaldo Martini - Oil on canvas 55x41 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
His first name sounds like a concerto. Vivacious, its name is reminiscent of an aperitif or a cyclist. The addition of the two evokes the Italianate. Indomitable and unavoidable. Mor...
Category

Mid-20th Century Baroque Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hudson River School Landscape with a portrait of a Boy and Dog Original Pastel
Located in Soquel, CA
Portrait of a young boy and his dog in oil pastel on paper on linen by Maurice B. Rosenbaum (American, 1868-1942) An American portrait painter form New York. Notable paintings includ...
Category

1930s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Pastel, Linen, Stretcher Bars

Woman - Painting by Eliseu Visconti - 1930
Located in Roma, IT
Woman is an original modern artwork realized by Eliseu Visconti (1866-1944) in 1930. Mixed colored oil painting on board. Hand signed and dated on the lower margin.
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paint, Oil, Board

Portrait of an African Man - Early 20th Century French Impressionist Painting
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
A superb early 20th century French impressionist oil on canvas head and shoulders portrait of an African man wearing a yellow jacket. Excellent quality and condition work, with a pu...
Category

Early 20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Spanish Flower Girl. An antique oil painting on canvas
Located in St. Albans, GB
Eduardo León GARRIDO (French, Madrid 1856-1949 Caen) Picture Size: 16 x 13" (41 x 33cm) Outside Frame Size: 22 x 19" (56 x 48cm) Eduardo León Garrido was born in Madrid in 1856. He...
Category

Early 20th Century Mannerist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

1930's French Impressionist Oil The Musical Band Orchestra Playing
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Orchestra Simone Forge 1930's French Impressionist oil on board unframed board: 16 x 13 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: great condition For more any ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Lady Gardener - Modern British Impressionist Fauvist Oil Painting
By Paul Beauvais
Located in Sevenoaks, GB
A beautiful post impressionist/fauvist impasto oil on board portrait of a lady gardener resting on a bench, by modern British artist Paul Beauvais. Excel...
Category

Late 20th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Portrait of Lady in Red Shawl - British 30's Post Impressionist art oil painting
Located in London, GB
This sophisticated British portrait oil painting is by female artist Hedwig Pillitz and painted circa 1930. Her parents emigrated from Hungary to England and Hedwig and her actor sis...
Category

1930s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Young woman
Located in Genève, GE
Work on wood
Category

20th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Kitty and Silver Ship - British Edwardian Impressionist oil painting
Located in London, GB
This stunning, large British Edwardian Impressionist portrait oil painting is by noted portrait painter James Jebusa Shannon. Painted circa 1909 the sitter is his eldest daughter, Kitty. She is holding a family heirloom, the silver ship which has been depicted in several of shannon's works. The painting of his daughter, just on the cusp of entering womanhood, was dear to the artist and stayed within the family long after his death. The vibrant reds and bold brushwork, so unmistakable Shannon, make this an excellent example of a very personal and precious Edwardian family portrait oil painting. Provenance. The Artist. Lady Florence Shannon. By descent to Kitty Shannon Keigwin, the Artist's daughter. By descent to Julia Gibbons, the Artist's granddaughter. Estate of Julia Gibbons to the present owner. Exhibited. "Seeking Beauty: Paintings by James Jebusa Shannon," Debra Force...
Category

Early 1900s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Girl studying original oil on canvas painting
By Francesc Serra Castellet
Located in Barcelona, Barcelona
Francesc Serra Castellet (1912-1976) - Girl - Oil on canvas Oil measurements 73x60 cm. Frameless. Biography: Francesc Serra Castellet. Barcelona 1912 - Tossa de Mar (Girona) 1976. ...
Category

1960s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage Portrait Portrait of Fashionable Woman Pink Shawl 1920's French Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a Woman in Pink by Robert SImon (French 1888-1961) stamped with the artists studio stamp verso inscribed label with the date 1929 oil on board, unframed Board : 16 x 13 i...
Category

Early 20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

The Cabaret Dancer
Located in London, GB
'The Cabaret Dancer', crayon on art paper, by Kolomon Moore (circa 1930s). The Crazy Years (les Années Folles) of Paris in the 1920s hit an abrupt end in...
Category

1930s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Crayon

"Incessante sopravvivere" by Salvador Aulestia
Located in Milano, MI
From the series dedicated to Timeless Women by Salvador Aulestia, this is definitely a museum-grade artwork, exceptionally granted to celebrate yellow, a color well present in the Ca...
Category

1980s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Canvas

Woman Portrait by Vivaldo Martini - Oil on canvas 60x41 cm
Located in Geneva, CH
His first name sounds like a concerto. Vivacious, its name is reminiscent of an aperitif or a cyclist. The addition of the two evokes the Italianate. Indomitable and unavoidable. Mor...
Category

Mid-20th Century Baroque Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Collegiate Swim Match
Located in New York, NY
Mark Beard Collegiate Swim Match Oil on canvas Signed in red upper right corner
Category

20th Century Contemporary Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Original Arthur Smith Modernist Erotic Painting
Located in New York, NY
Arthur Smith (American, 1897-1972) Untitled, 20th century Oil on board 8 x 9 7/8 in. Framed: 14 1/4 x 16 3/8 in. Signed lower left: A Smith Arthur Smith is a listed American paint...
Category

20th Century American Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Portrait de Madame Luce - Post Impressionist Portrait Oil by Maximilien Luce
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed and dated oil on canvas portrait by post impressionist painter Maximilien Luce. The painting is of the artist's wife, Ambroisine "Simone" Bouin, seated in a chair with a vase ...
Category

Early 1900s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Old Woman - Painting by Francesco Settimj - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on plywood realized in 1930s. Painted on both sides, recto and verso. Good condition.
Category

1930s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Victor Manuel Portrait of a Woman
Located in San Francisco, CA
Victor Manuel: 1897-1969. Well listed Cuban artist who has auction results as high as $319,000. He as an early member of the "Vanguardia" movement of ar...
Category

Mid-20th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

Reclining Nude
Located in London, GB
'Reclining Nude', oil on canvas, by Guillaume Dulac (circa 1920s). A sensuous portrayal by the artist of a young woman reclining on a divan draped with cloth. Inspired perhaps from Ingres' (1780-1867) classic, La Grande Odalisque...
Category

1920s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

French Mid Century Oil on Canvas Equestrian Portrait
Located in Cotignac, FR
French Mid Century portrait of a galloping horse by Roger Villet. The painting is signed top right and there is another signature and date to the back of the canvas. A wonderfully e...
Category

Mid-20th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

L'hymne du Roi David (King David's Dream)
Located in Boca Raton, FL
L'hymne du Roi David (King David's Dream) Oil on wood by Marc Chagall c late 70's Comes with Numbered and Verified Certificate of Authenticity from Comite C...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood

Woman with eyes closed
Located in PARIS, FR
Julien-Adolphe Duvocelle (1873 - 1961) Woman with eyes closed Oil on canvas 41,5 x 33 cm (16.1 x 12.9 inch) Signed on lower left: J Duvocelle Julien Duvocelle is an artist who neve...
Category

20th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Winter in Provence
Located in London, GB
'Winter in Provence', gouache on art paper, by Raymond Debiève (circa 1970s). There is both beauty and melancholy in this delightfully charming artwork. The artist's naive style is at odds with the refinement, poise and sophistication of the painting. Perhaps the artist was making a statement as well with the broken wall...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Portrait Blue Miles Davis French School READY TO HANG Chut les Barbizons!
Located in Zofingen, AG
Portrait Blue Miles Davis Portrait of the famous Miles Davis Technique: oil, acrylics and ink on canvas 73x60cm ■■ 28,7x23,6inch ⏩》R E A D Y -- T O -- H A N G《⏪ 🟢 → Original ...
Category

Early 1900s Tonalist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Stretcher Bars

Antique American Impressionist Framed Young Woman Portrait Exhibited Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Very finely painted early 1900s American impressionist portrait painting by Alexander Oscar Levy (1881 - 1947). Oil on canvas, lain to board. In excellent original condition. Hand...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Portrait of a Gentleman - British Edwardian art male portrait oil painting
Located in London, GB
This lovely British Edwardian Impressionist portrait oil painting is by noted artist Percy William Gibbs. Pained circa 1910 it is a head and shoulders portrait of a gentleman in a da...
Category

1910s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

An Artist at Work on a Study of Doves - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Title: An Artist at Work on a Study of Doves - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting Artist: Roland Pichard Signed: Bottom right Medium: Oil on oil paper, mounted on card Size: 10...
Category

Mid-20th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Lady by Paul Mathey - Oil on canvas 42x62cm
Located in Geneva, CH
Paul Mathey (1891–1972) was a Swiss painter associated with the artistic scene of the Suisse Romande region. His work was featured in significant exhibitions throughout Switzerland, ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Giant Sadistic Laughing Devil with Hellfire and Tiny Humans
Located in Miami, FL
A sadistic laughing Devil grinning a big smile is pictured hovering over a Hellfire. He is reveling while witnessing tiny ant-like sinners engage in eternal torture, torment, and co...
Category

1940s Expressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

The Explorers Meeting Classical Sea Faring Adventurers with Ship & Charts, oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Artist/ School: Continental school, 20th century Title: The Explorers Medium: oil painting on canvas, framed Size: framed: 29.25 x 41.25 inches canvas: 24 x 36 inches Provenance...
Category

20th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Mid 20th Century French Oil Pre-Raphaelite Portrait of a Lady
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Working Sketch by Louise Alix (French, 1888-1980) *see notes below provenance stamp to the back oil painting on artist paper stuck on board, unframed measures: 10.5 high by 12 inche...
Category

Mid-20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ballerias Dancing In Motion In Deep Purple Tones 20th Century French Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Dancers in Motion by Annie Faure (French 1940-2021) signed lower corner oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 13 x 18 inches condition: overall very good, minor surface scuff...
Category

Late 20th Century French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Beautiful Italian Art Nouveau Portrait of two women
Located in New York, NY
Beautiful Italian Art Nouveau style portrait of two women by Adriano Goby.
Category

Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Male Portrait, Signed Gennaro Befanio (Naples, 1866 - Paris, 1937), Dated 1936
Located in Firenze, IT
Male Portrait, Signed Gennaro Befanio (Naples, 1866 - Paris, 1937), Dated 1936 Male portrait in oil on canvas, signed in the upper left corner "G. Befanio" and dated 1936. Likely on...
Category

Early 20th Century Art Deco Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1960's French Portrait Brunette Man Side Profile Caricature
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
French Character Portrait French school, Mid 20th Century Gouache paint on unframed paper signed lower corner Image : 12.5 x 9.5 inches Superbly decorative 1960's French portrait pa...
Category

Mid-20th Century Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Gouache

Ballroom Scene
Located in Naples, Florida
Ballroom Scene
Category

20th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Pop Art Acrylic Painting 'Detectives' from the Tintin Comic books
By Fernando Fer Sucre
Located in Surfside, FL
These are the detectives of the Belgian comic book Tintin created by Herge. FER SUCRE is a Venezuelan-born artist now in Wynwood Miami, Florida. He studied graphic design and paintin...
Category

1990s Pop Art Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Plastic, Acrylic

Female Portrait - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1931
Located in Roma, IT
Female Portrait is an original artwork realized in 1931 by Antonio Feltrinelli (Milan, 1887 - Gargnano, 1942). Original Painting on canvas. Hand-signed on the lower right corner. ...
Category

1930s Modern 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

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.

Recently Viewed

View All