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Portrait Paintings For Sale
Period: 18th Century
Period: 1930s
Tennis Champion, Don Budge
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Oil on Canvasboard
Signature: Unsigned
Caricature by George Wachsteter (1911-2004) of Tennis Champion Don Budge, Number One ranked player in the world, 1937-42, injury from ...
Category
1930s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Board
A Charming, Colorful 1930s Painting of a Young Woman Knitting by Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A charming, colorful 1930s painting of a young woman knitting by famed Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. A harmonious palette of cheerful yellows, reds and blues, where a young...
Category
1930s American Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Hispanic woman with jewels Latin female Art Deco
Located in Miami, FL
Long-necked , elegant slender fingers and spellbinding eyes define a quintessential Latin beauty. The painting is has a simple, architectonic composition of vertical and horizontal e...
Category
1930s Art Deco Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Woman with Parrot - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli- 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Woman with parrot is an orignal modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas.
Includes frame
Not ...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Oil
Balinese Pottery Market
Located in London, GB
'Balinese Pottery Market', oil on canvas, by Régine van den Broek d'Obrenan (1931). The artist visited Bali in 1931 (among other islands) with her new husband, Charles. The naive pai...
Category
1930s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Young girl in pink toilet
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas
Category
18th Century Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
"L' Espagnole", Portrait Oil Painting by Dietz Edzard, 1935
By Dietz Edzard
Located in Berlin, DE
Oil on Canvas, 1935 by Dietz Edzard ( German/French 1893-1963 ) Height: 17.99 in ( 45,7 cm ), Width: 12.99 in ( 33 cm )
With the artist's signature stamp at lower left. Framed.
Prope...
Category
1930s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of a French lady by Robert Le Vrac Tournieres, circa 1725
Located in PARIS, FR
Portrait of a young Lady
Robert Le Vrac Tournières (1667-1752)
18th century French school, circa 1725
Oil on canvas
Dimensions: h. 81 cm, w. 65 cm
Important 18th century Régence per...
Category
Early 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Young Girl with a Basket of Fruit
By Jean-Baptiste Greuze
Located in Paris, Île-de-France
French School, late 18th century, circle of Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805)
Young Girl with a Basket of Fruit
Oil on canvas, preparatory work, 39 x 31 cm
Provenance:
Private colle...
Category
1790s Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of a little girl
Located in Genève, GE
Work on wood
This captivating portrait depicts a melancholy young face, executed with a remarkable mastery of shades of gray and brown. The artist uses a deft brush to capture the su...
Category
1930s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Female figure - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Female figure is a modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s.
Includes frame: 93.5 x 73.5 cm
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas
Antonio Feltrinelli (Milan, 1887 – Gargnano, 1942)
He was born in Milan on June 1, 1887 to Giovanni Feltrinelli, the nephew of Giacomo, who was the founder of the Feltrinelli partnership. Feltrinelli was not only a prominent figure in the Italian economic and financial field, but he was also a painter, who was characterized as a strong, impetuous hot colorist, and preferred still lifes, portraits and landscapes. He started his career in 1930 at La Permanente (Milan), where he exhibited a portrait and a still life that won him the Fornara award.
That same year, Feltrinelli exhibited his work at the Venice Biennial and at the Pesaro Gallery in Milan. Together with other prominent avant-garde artists, he participated in various foreign exhibitions on modern Italian painting...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Portrait of Young Woman - Painting by by Francesco Settimj - 1933
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard, realized by Francesco Settimj in 1933.
Hand signed and dated lower right.
Good condition.
Category
1930s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Venetian Rococò painter - 18th century mask figure painting - Colombina Carnival
Located in Varmo, IT
Venetian master (18th century) - Mask of Colombina.
161 x 68 cm without frame, 169.5 x 76.5 cm with frame.
Antique oil painting on canvas, in a white lacquered wooden frame.
Condi...
Category
Late 18th Century Rococo Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Allison Coolidge (Belmont)
Located in Boston, MA
Dated and titled on stretcher: "'37/ Mr + Mrs Chas. Coolidge/ Allison/ -Belmont".
In 1929 Molly Luce and her husband, Alan Burroughs, moved from Garden St...
Category
1930s American Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Self Portrait - Oil on Masonite by Paulo Ghiglia - 1937
By Paulo Ghiglia
Located in Roma, IT
Signed on top left side P. Ghiglia 937.
Good conditions.
Category
1930s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
1938 Cuban Illustration Gouache Painting Carteles Magazine Andres Garcia Benitez
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original illustration by Cuban artist Andres Garcia Benitez which was used for the cover of the iconic Carteles magazine in November of 1938.
...
Category
1930s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache, Illustration Board
Portrait of Noblewoman - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Noblewoman is an orignal modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas. Not signed.
Label on the back.
Antonio Feltrine...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Oil
Important 18th Century Pastel Portrait Painting Young Girl John Russell RA 1789
By John Russell
Located in Portland, OR
An important authenticated & documented 18th century portrait by John Russell R A (1745-1809), England, signed & dated 1789.
This rather charming & sensitive portrait of a young girl...
Category
1780s English School Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil Pastel
Man with Yellow Tie
Located in Los Angeles, CA
ALEXANDER KREISEL
"MAN WITH YELLOW TIE"
OIL ON CANVAS BOARD, SIGNED
RUSSIAN-AMERICAN, C.1935
26 X 19.5 INCHES
FRAMED 29.5 X 23.5 INCHES
Alexander Krei...
Category
1930s Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
18th - 19th C. Portrait Painting After Petrus Staverenus
Located in San Francisco, CA
18th-19th C. Portrait Painting After Petrus Staverenus depicting man with bottle
Oil on canvas
No visible signature
Wax seal on verso
11" x 14"
Category
18th Century Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
18th Century Oil on Canvas French Neoclassical Painting, 1780
Located in Vicoforte, IT
Great neoclassical French painting from the second half of the 18th century. Oil on canvas artwork depicting a splendid female figure with a trompe-l'oeil effect. The technique used ...
Category
1780s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Oil on Canvas Italian Religious Painting Saint Roch with Dog, 1930
Located in Vicoforte, IT
Great Italian painting from the first half of the 20th century. Artwork oil on canvas, on the first canvas, depicting a religious subject Saint Roch with dog and stick of good pictor...
Category
1930s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
20th Century Oil on Canvas French Female Nude Painting Signed P. Sieffert, 1930
Located in Vicoforte, IT
Beautiful female nude painting from the first half of the 20th century. Oil on canvas, first canvas, artwork signed P. Sieffert, attributable to the French painter Paul Sieffert (the...
Category
1930s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
The Hunter, Mid-Century Photo Realist Drypoint Etching Portrait, Limited Edition
By Gilbert Schoenbrod
Located in Soquel, CA
An incredible photo-realist drypoint etching of a Native American man by Gilbert Adam Shoenbrod (American, 1903-1996), 1937. Titled "The Hunter", this hyper detailed portrait depicts...
Category
1930s Photorealist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Drypoint
Death of the Young Men 1938 - British art figurative Surrealist oil painting
By Jack Sassoon
Located in London, GB
This very interesting Surrealist painting is by Jack Sassoon. One can only speculate whether Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967), the English war poet, writer an...
Category
1930s Surrealist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Women- Painting on Canvas by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Women is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s
Original oil on plywood.
Beautiful and representative work of a female figure and on ...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Plywood
17th-18th Century By Benedetto Luti Head of a Girl Oil Pastel on Canvas
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Benedetto Luti (Florence, Italy, 1666 - Rome, Italy, 1724)
Title: Head of a Girl
Medium: Oil pastel on canvas
Dimensions: without frame 28 x 23.5 cm - with frame 38.5 x 33.5 cm
Orig...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil Pastel
Woman on Sofa - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Woman on Sofa is a modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Another painting of human figure on rear.
Includes frame.
Mixed colore...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
18th Century Oil on Canvas Italian Religious Painting Virgin of Sorrows, 1770
Located in Vicoforte, IT
Antique Italian painting from the second half of the 18th century. Religious painting depicting the Virgin of Sorrows, of excellent pictorial quality. Oil on canvas framework recentl...
Category
1770s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Escuela valenciana (XX) - Óleo sobre tela - Niño con gallo
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
La obra no va firmada
Se presenta sin enmarcar
El estado de la obra es aceptable, lo único a comentar es que tiene craquelaciones (ver fotografías adjuntas)
Medidas obra: 75 cm al...
Category
1930s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Woman - l Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli- 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Woman is an orignal modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas.
Not signed.
Antonio Feltrinelli (Milan, 1887 – Gargnano, 1942)
...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Oil
Painting Female Portrait 18th century
Located in Milan, IT
Oil on Canvas. Central European school of the 18th century.
The distinguished lady, flaunting a dress embellished with bows and lace, is seated at her desk and holding a letter; in t...
Category
18th Century Other Art Style Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Woman - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1932
Located in Roma, IT
Woman is an original modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1932.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas.
Hand signed and dated.
Good condition.
Antonio Feltrinelli (Mil...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Sculptor
By Ron Blumberg
Located in West Hollywood, CA
An early, 1940, oil on canvas by American artist Ron Blumberg.
Blumberg was classically trained at La Grande Academie Chaumiere in Paris, 1932, before moving to New York where he bec...
Category
1930s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Lady with Fur - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Lady with fur is an original modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas.
Includes frame 110x3x79 cm
Not signed.
Antonio Feltrin...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Oil
Religious figurative drawing of 18th century male portrait on parchment
Located in Florence, IT
This small portrait, from an important Florentine collection, (unframed 14x10 cm.) is signed and dated on the lower edge "Io(hannes) Baptista Scarlattius Rondinelli Fecit Anno 1754."...
Category
18th Century Rococo Portrait Paintings
Materials
Parchment Paper, Tempera, Watercolor
Self-Portrait - Royal Academy Founding Member, 18th Century
Located in London, GB
Francis Hayman RA
1708–1776
Self-Portrait
Oil on oak panel
Image size: 8 x 6¼ inches
Contemporary gilt frame
This newly discovered work is the earliest known self portrait by Francis Hayman, dated to the mid to late 1720’s. The small scale of the portrait gives it a strong sense of intimacy. Whereas clients would often dress themselves in their best clothes for a sitting, Hayman has portrayed himself in informal attire, with his shirt unbuttoned and a wig cap.
Born in 1708 to a respectable Devonshire family, his training began at the tender age of ten under the tutelage of the historical painter Robert Brown, who was probably an uncle. By the 1730’s he is known to have been engaged in painting scenery for the popular theatres on Goodman’s Fields and Drury Lane. He established a studio on St Martin’s Lane, and demonstrated his versatility as one of the most
important painters of his time in portraits, illustration and history painting.
Indeed, he was one of the first English painters deemed to have the skill and proficiency to rival that of the foreign masters, such as Holbein and Kneller, who were brought in by the court to make up for the perceived shortcomings of the native artists. Led by William Hogarth, Hayman and other artists began to create a new movement in the English art world. Thomas Gainsborough was one of his pupils, whom he is said to have introduced to the more lascivious and debauched underbelly of London life.
After mostly making his living as an illustrator, in the 1740’s Hayman was commissioned by the proprietor of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, Jonathan Tyers, to produce a series of four large celebratory canvases depicting British victories from the Seven Years War. His association with Tyers continued, and over the next ten years he produced a number of large decorative paintings...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oak, Oil Pastel
Model with Swan - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Model with swan is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s.
Oil on plywood.
Beautiful and representative artwork of a female figure.
Anton...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Blond Hair Boy - Original signed oil on canvas - 1934
Located in Paris, IDF
Gustave Poetzsch (1870-1950)
Blond Hair Boy
Original Oil on Canvas
Signed Bottom right
37 x 25 cm (c. 15 x 12 in) at view
Presented in his original golden wood frame (defects to th...
Category
1930s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Odalisques - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Odalisques is a modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas, realized in 1930s.
Antonio Feltrinelli (Milan, 1887 – Gargnano, 1942)
He was born in Milan on June 1, 1887 to Giovanni Feltrinelli, the nephew of Giacomo, who was the founder of the Feltrinelli partnership. Feltrinelli was not only a prominent figure in the Italian economic and financial field, but he was also a painter, who was characterized as a strong, impetuous hot colorist, and preferred still lifes, portraits and landscapes. He started his career in 1930 at La Permanente (Milan), where he exhibited a portrait and a still life that won him the Fornara award.
That same year, Feltrinelli exhibited his work at the Venice Biennial and at the Pesaro Gallery in Milan. Together with other prominent avant-garde artists, he participated in various foreign exhibitions on modern Italian painting...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
1930's English, Portrait in oil of a Bowler Hatted man, Photographer John Bean
Located in Woodbury, CT
George Herbert Buckingham Holland was born in Northampton, the son of a grocer. He studied at Leicester School of Art. He made his living painting portraits of Northampton dignitarie...
Category
1930s Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Self Portrait - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Self portrait is a modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas.
Not signed.
Antonio Feltrinelli (Milan, 1887 – Gargnano, 1942)
He...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Woman in the Garden - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Woman in the Garden is an original modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Includes frame: 98 x 4 x 68 cm
Mixed colored oil painting on board
Antonio Feltrinelli (Milan, 1887 – Gargnano, 1942)
He was born in Milan on June 1, 1887 to Giovanni Feltrinelli, the nephew of Giacomo, who was the founder of the Feltrinelli partnership. Feltrinelli was not only a prominent figure in the Italian economic and financial field, but he was also a painter, who was characterized as a strong, impetuous hot colorist, and preferred still lifes, portraits and landscapes. He started his career in 1930 at La Permanente (Milan), where he exhibited a portrait and a still life that won him the Fornara award.
That same year, Feltrinelli exhibited his work at the Venice Biennial and at the Pesaro Gallery in Milan. Together with other prominent avant-garde artists, he participated in various foreign exhibitions on modern Italian painting...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Philip Joubert - British art portrait oil painting senior commander 1930's WWII
Located in London, GB
Painted circa 1930 this Modern British oil portrait of Philip Joubert has superb colouring and detail. Painted by Charles Cundall RA RWS, it came from the artist’s daughter and is framed in an earlier solid Empire frame. This is a fine example of a 20th century Modern British portrait. Philip Jourbet de la Ferte, Air Chief Marshall, was senior commander in the 1930's and World War II.
Signed left.
Provenance Family descent.
James Bourlet and Sons labels verso.
Artist’s daughter.
Condition. Oil on canvas, image size 24 inches by 20 inches and in fine gallery condition.
Housed in a fine Empire 19th century frame 30 by 26 inches, in good condition.
Charles Cundall (1890-1971) - painter, potter and stained-glass artist, born in Stratford, Lancashire. After working as a designer for Pilkington's Pottery Company under Gordon Forsyth...
Category
1930s Realist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Composition - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Composition is a modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Another painting of human figure on rear.
Includes frame: 98 x 4 x 68 cm
Mixed colored oil painting o...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Woman in Red - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Woman in red is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Original oil on plywood.
Beautiful and representative artwork of a female figu...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
Allegory - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Allegory is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Original oil on plywood.
Beautiful and represent...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Oil
Portrait of Woman - Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Woman is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Original oil on board
Beautiful and representative artwork of a female fi...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Saint - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
The Saint is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Original oil on canvas.
Beautiful and representative work of a female figure sur...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Oil
Portrait of a Girl - Original Oil Paint by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of a girl is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Original oil on plywood.
Beautiful and representative work of a female fi...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil, Plywood
'Study of a Young Woman', California Woman artist, Art Institute of Chicago
By Sarah Hobson
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower left, 'Sarah H. Hobson' and dated, '1936'.
A delicately modeled, gouache and watercolor study of a young woman with copper hair.
Sarah Villarette Hoover Hobson studied...
Category
1930s Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
Hunting Lady - British thirties art female portrait oil painting horse riding
By David Murray Urquhart
Located in London, GB
A fine portrait oil painting by noted Scottish artist David Murray Urquhart. Painted circa 1930 the portrait is of a woman in horse riding gear and has wonderful tones and brushwork....
Category
1930s Art Deco Portrait Paintings
Materials
Oil
The Monk - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli- 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
The monkis an orignal modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas.
Not signed.
Good condition.
Antonio Feltrinelli (Milan, 1887 ...
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Oil
'Hopi Girl with Kachina Doll', California Woman artist, Pasadena Art Association
By Katharine Buzzell Benepe
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right 'K. Buzzell Benepe' and dated 1936.
A psychologically penetrating character study by this early California woman artist. Benepe captures the essential sensitivity of her subject as she gently cradles her doll while gazing at the viewer with both candor and charm.
Katherine Buzzell Benepe first studied at the University of California in Los Angeles and, later, with Nicolai Fechin...
Category
1930s Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
20th century oil painting portrait child subject female artist signed
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Bright Eyes" is an original oil paint on canvas mounted on board by Pauline Palmer. It depicts a young child in blue with wide eyes smiling in front of a ...
Category
1930s American Impressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil, Board
Woman Reading - Painting by Antonio Feltrinelli - 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Woman reading is an modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s.
Mixed colored oil painting on canvas.
The artwork depicts a portrait of a woman.
Category
1930s Modern Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paint, Oil
Portrait of a Redhead in Profile
By Leon Kroll
Located in Miami, FL
Beautifully rendered in Krolls signature academic style. Unframed - Signed lower right, unframed
Category
1930s Academic Portrait Paintings
Materials
Wood, Oil
Cecily Byrne as Mary Stewart - British art 30's actress portrait oil painting
By George Carr Drinkwater
Located in London, GB
Painted by George Carr Drinkwater, this vibrant oil on canvas depicts the actress of stage and screen Cecily Byrne as Mary Stuart. Painted circa 1930 it is a stunning evocative portrait of an actress who was famous throughout the 1930’s. A fine portrait of a long forgotten film star. Cecily Byrne (1889-1975) was an actress, known for Loyalties, Henry IV and Brown Sugar...
Category
1930s Realist 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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