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Portrait Paintings For Sale
Period: 19th Century
The Death Of Icarus, 19th Century - Alexandre CABANEL (1823-1889)
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Death Of Icarus, 19th Century circle of Alexandre CABANEL (1823-1889) Large 19th Century French classical scene of The Death Of Icarus, oil on canvas circle of Alexandre Cabane...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th-19th Century By Natale Schiavoni Portrait of the Sister Oil on Cardboard
By Natale Schiavoni
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Original frame in gilded wood and gilded pastiglia. Autograph dedication of the artist in the back of the painting. Natale Schiavoni (Chioggia (Venice), 1777 – Venice, 1858) wan a...
Category

19th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

The Gold Brooch, Orientalist Oil Painting, Signed and dated 1894
Located in London, GB
Oil on panel, signed, dated and inscribed ‘Bou Saada, 1894’ lower right Image size: 13 x 8 3/4 inches (33 x 22.25 cm) Ornate Gilt frame Euguene Alexis Girardet A child prodigy, Gi...
Category

1890s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Ships Sailing In A Venice Lagon At Sunset 19th Century Etienne Leroy (1828-1876)
Located in Blackwater, GB
Ships Sailing In A Venice Lagon At Sunset, 19th Century by Etienne Leroy (1828-1876) Large 19th Century Venetian Sunset view of ships sailing across the lagoon, oil on canvas by E...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Children Playing Of A Hillside, Near Cape Curig, Wales, 19th Century
Located in Blackwater, GB
Children Playing Of A Hillside, Near Cape Curig, Wales, 19th Century by Sidney Richard Percy (1821-1886) Large 19th Century view of children playing in a hillside near Capel Curig...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a British Hong Kong Diplomat, circa 1890 Chinese School -
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait of a British Hong Kong Diplomat, circa 1890 Chinese School - one of a pair we are selling 19th Century Chinese Provincial School portrait ...
Category

Early 19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait Of A Ballerina, early 20th Century by Marcel BLOCH (1882-1966)
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait Of A Ballerina, early 20th Century by Marcel BLOCH (1882-1966) Large early 20th Century French Impressionist portrait of a ballerina, oil on canvas by Marcel Bloch. Good q...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Young Girl with a Dove
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Lacazette Amelie (19th) Young Girl with a dove Oil on canvas signed upper left Old frame gilded with leaves Dim canvas : 56 X 37 cm Dim Frame : 74 X 57 cm Lacazette Amelie (19th) - ...
Category

1870s Academic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

A LARGE BERLIN (K.P.M.) PORCELAIN PLAQUE, THE PRODIGAL SON
Located in New York, NY
Finely painted after Rembrandt with a self-portrait of the artist and his spouse, Saskia, in a tavern, in the guise of the Prodigal Son LATE 19TH CENTURY, IMPRESSED MONOGRAM AND SCE...
Category

Late 19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Porcelain

Boy with Apples
By Georg Cornelius
Located in Lincoln, GB
This portrait of a young boy with an apple is a beautiful piece by Georg Cornicelius.
Category

Late 19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Painting 19th Century - Portrait of Young Lady
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
ERNEST BLANC-GARIN (1843-1916) Portrait of a Young Lady around 1880 Oil on wood panel signed low Old Original frame gilded with leaves Dimensions wood : 40 X 30 cm Dimensions frame : 62 X 53 cm ERNEST BLANC-GARIN (1843-1916) Belgian Painter 19th Century Born 8 October 1843 in Givet (France) Died 1916 in Brussels (Belgium) Painter of Portraits and Urbanscapes. In Brusssels he was taught by Jan Portaëls (1818-1895); then in Paris by Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889) He took part in the Salon de Paris from 1868. After a trip to Italy in 1870, he came back to Brussels for creating a private Art Academy providing a very liberal teaching. His portraits are made with a lot of freedom and gracefulness. Bibliography : Dictionary of Artists E. Benezit Book II / 373 Gérald SHURR : Les petits Maîtres de la Peinture 1820- 1920 Book V
Category

1880s Academic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Eagle & Rabbit In The Alps, 19th Century
Located in Blackwater, GB
Eagle & Rabbit In The Alps, 19th Century attributed to John James AUDUBON (1785-1851) Fine large 19th Century French School study of an Eagle with its prey in the mountains of the...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Night Royal Mail Coach To London, 19th Century
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Night Royal Mail Coach To London, 19th Century attributed to Charles Cooper HENDERSON (1803-1877) Fine large 19th Century scene of a Lon...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

La lecture au jardin (Lesson in the Garden)
Located in New Orleans, LA
French Post-Impressionist painter Georges d’Espagnat captures a charming moment between a mother and her child in this vibrant oil on canvas. Rendered with a studied use of complementary colors and bold brushstrokes, the painting showcases the artist's unique Post-Impressionist style. Remembered as one of the most individualistic artists of the 20th century, his distinctive canvases bring together the loose brushwork of the Impressionists and the bold color palette favored by the Fauves. Together, they achieve a vibrant spontaneity that lends itself well to the carefree subjects of the present work. Masterfully composed, La lecture au jardin moves beyond the Impressionist instinct to capture a fleeting moment on canvas. Rather, d'Espagnat succeeds in creating a deep feeling of harmony in the work. Warm colors are perfectly balanced with cool tones, while vertical and horizontal lines are softened by the curves of the foliage and his subjects' figures. Through his simplification of forms and intentional use of color and line, he creates a scene that is carefully designed and thoroughly modern. A similar view of a mother and her child by d'Espagnat is currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). The Post-Impressionist painter was an individualist since his youth, choosing to forgo traditional schooling in order to independently study the Old Masters in the Louvre. He soon became involved with the most prominent Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters of the age, including Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Signac, who themselves existed outside the traditional norms of French Academic training. In 1891, he exhibited at the Salon des Refusés, and again the following year at the Salon des Indépendants. By 1895, he held his first one-man show in Paris, and just three years later his success earned him a solo show at the prestigious Durand-Ruel Gallery. Between 1905 and 1910 he made several trips to visit Renoir on the Côte d’Azur. Their close friendship resulted in a group exhibition at Marcel Bernheim...
Category

Late 19th Century Post-Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait King William IV, s Duke Of Clarence, early 19th Century
By James Lonesdale
Located in Blackwater, GB
Portrait King William IV, s Duke Of Clarence, early 19th Century by James Lonsdale (1777-1839) Fine early 19th Century portrait of King William IV as...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A Break from Play
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 24 x 18 inches Framed size: 31 x 25.5 inches Signed lower left
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jules TOULOT (1863-nc) Painting 19th century soldier uniform interior
By Toulot Jules
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Toulot Jules (1863-nc) Pianist officer in the Second Empire period Oil on canvas signed low right Old frame regilded with gold leaves Dim canvas : 65 X 43 cm Dim frame : 90 X 67 cm TOULOT Jules (1863-nc) French painter 19th century Born 11th November 1863 in Champeinx (Puy de Dôme...
Category

1880s Academic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Scagliola Plaster Painting Portrait Napoleon 19th century
Located in Florence, IT
Portrait of the younger brother of Napoleon, Lucien Bonaparte, done with the Scagliola technique. Scagliola (from the Italian scaglia, meaning "chips") is a type of fine plaster came into fashion in 17th-century Tuscany as an effective substitute for costly marble inlays, the pietra dura works created for the Medici family...
Category

Late 19th Century Other Art Style Portrait Paintings

Materials

Plaster

The Founding Of Durham by Saint Cuthbert, Patron Saint Of Northumbria, 1902
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Founding Of Durham by Saint Cuthbert, Patron Saint Of Northumbria, circa 1900 by Robert Spence (British, 1871-1964) Huge Royal Academy Exhibit 1902, no 674 Huge 19th Century C...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

19th Century Spanish Colonial School, Retablo, El Nino de Atocha
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This late 19th-century Mexican oil painting depicts the Christ child as ‘El Nino de Atocha’. El Nino de Atocha is a popular subject of Mexican retablo art and its roots can be trace...
Category

1880s Folk Art Portrait Paintings

Materials

Metal

Johann Paul Eisenmeyer, Portrait Of A Gentleman, Oil Painting
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This charming mid-19th-century oil painting by Austrian artist Johann Paul Eisenmeyer (act.1820-1846) depicts a gentleman wearing a black coat, white shirt and black bowtie. Eisenme...
Category

1840s Folk Art Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Very Large 1820's English Portrait Dapper Young Gentleman Period Drama Oil
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Dapper Young Gentleman English School, circa 1820's period oil on canvas, framed framed: 40 x 34 inches canvas: 32 x 27 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: ...
Category

1820s Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Early 19th Century Portrait of Dutch Man and Woman - Pair - Original Oil on Line
Located in Soquel, CA
Early 19th Century Portrait of Dutch Man and Woman - Pair - Original Oil on Line Exceptional Dutch School portraits of young man and woman. Some craquelure through due to age. Laid d...
Category

1830s Impressionist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

The Goddess Hera - 19th Century Neoclassical Oil Painting Ancient Greek Myth
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Hera’ by Eduard Niczky (1850-1919). The painting - which depicts the Greek queen of the gods in golden diadem and yellow robe - is signed by the artist and hangs in a newly commis...
Category

Late 19th Century Academic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Une Affection Tacite - Large 19th Century Oil Painting of Young Lovers
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Une Affection Tacite’ by Adèle Kindt (1804-1893). The painting – which depicts a young woman and her ardent admirer – is signed by the artist and dated 1862. Born into a family o...
Category

1860s Romantic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Melancholic Sappho - Large 19th Century Pre-Raphalite Oil Painting Greek Goddess
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

Regina dei Fiori - 19th Century Oil Painting Society Portrait of Italian Beauty
Located in Gerrards Cross, GB
‘Regina dei Fiori’ by Frédéric Soulacroix (1858-1933). The painting – which depicts an aristocratic Italian beauty sitting beside a porcelain vase full of peonies – is signed by th...
Category

Late 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

Portrait of a young girl
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Louis Joseph César DUCORNET (Lille 1806 – Paris 1856) Portrait of a young girl Oil on canvas H. 92 cm; L. 73 cm Signed upper left, dated 1837 When he came into the world in Lille in...
Category

1830s French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lady, 1830 Era, Portrait With Micromosaic Bracelet.
Located in Firenze, IT
Lady, 1830 era, portrait with micromosaic jewelry. A richly detailed portrayal of 1830s fashion, this rare testament to jewelry history vividly ca...
Category

1830s Romantic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ca. 1820 Portrait of a Woman with Kashmir shawl.
Located in Firenze, IT
Ca. 1820 Portrait of a Woman. Léon Cogniet (1794-1880, Paris), attributed. French school of 19th century. Tecnicque: oils on canvas. Dimensions: 70cm x 61cm 20th century wooden...
Category

1820s Romantic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

The Lesson - Portrait Interior - British Victorian art oil painting reading
Located in London, GB
This lovely British Victorian oil painting is by noted artist John Eaton Walker. Painted circa 1855 it is portrait in an interior of a beautiful young woman in a yellow satin dress. ...
Category

19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

19th Century Italian Orientalist Masterpiece Painting "Four Women In The Harem"
By Rudolf Ernst
Located in New York, NY
19th Century Italian Orientalist Masterpiece Painting "Four Women In The Harem" circa 1880, in the Circle of Rudolf Ernst. Oil on canvas. "The O...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Rare Portrait Of Mrs. Sanford Robinson Gifford (Mary Cecelia Gifford), 1878
Located in New York, NY
Sanford Robinson Gifford (American 1823-1880) A Rare Portrait Of Mrs. Sanford Robinson Gifford (Mary Cecelia Gifford) "The Artist's Wife" Oil on Paper mounted on canvas, painted in 1878, 2 years before his death. In original giltwood frame. Painting: 8 1/4" high by 7 1/4" wide Frame: 15" high x 13.5" wide Provenance: Private Collection (acquired by descent directly from the artist in 1878) Alexander Gallery, New York (acquired from the above) Acquired from the above in 1986 by the present owner The Art Institute of Chicago (Reference Number 1986.184) New York, Private Collection Literature: Ila Weiss, The Poetic Landscape: The Art and Experience of Sanford R. Gifford, Newark, 1987, no. 10, p. 309, illustrated The Art Institute of Chicago, letter from Milo Naeve to Mr. and Mrs. William Y...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Napoléon II
Located in New Orleans, LA
The son of the legendary Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoléon François Charles Joseph, takes a spirited stance in this remarkable oil painting attributed to the Austrian portraitist Johann Peter Krafft. Believed to have been exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris, this work stands as a testament to both Austrian artistry and the legacy of one of the most powerful men in history. After Napoléon's exile to the island of Elba in 1814, his son was seen by many of his supporters as the last hope of France. The child was named the ruler of half of Europe, holding the titles of Napoléon II...
Category

Early 19th Century Academic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Margaritta MacDonald in red jacket and white gown (half-length)
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: (after) Sir Henry Raeburn (Scottish, 1756-1823) Title: "Portrait of Margaritta MacDonald in red jacket and white gown (half-length)" *No signature found Circa: 1820 Medium: O...
Category

1820s Baroque Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Oil, Gesso

Young woman portrait with a white bow
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Charles HERMANN-LÉON (born Léon Charles Sigismond HEMRMANN) (Le Havre 1838 - Paris 1908) Portrait of a young woman Oil on canvas H. 54 cm; L. 41 cm Signed and dated upper right - 187...
Category

1870s French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

1820's French Portrait of a Gentleman Signed & Dated 1824 Oil on Canvas
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Portrait of a French Gentleman French School, indistinctly signed dated 1824 inscribed verso oil on canvas, unframed painting: 22 x 19 inches provenance: private collection, France c...
Category

Early 19th Century Rococo Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Robert von Steiger (1856-1941) Portrait Dutch Officer A. v. Steiger 1884 Holland
Located in Meinisberg, CH
Johann Ludwig Robert von Steiger (Swiss, * 8th of January, 1856, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; † 1st of June, 1941, Buenos Aires, Argentina) Portrait of Karl Alfred Arthur von Steiger Lie...
Category

1880s Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Wood Panel, Oil

Antique portrait of a boy, child portrait, early 1800's male framed portrait
Located in AIGNAN, FR
Antique oil portrait from the early 1800's of a child in a black feather hat on a stretched canvas, framed, unsigned. This is a truly exceptional oil painting of a child, it reminds ...
Category

1810s French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait Of A Young Girl In A Lilac Dress With A Black Bow. Circa 1860. SIgned.
Located in Firenze, IT
Portrait of a young girl in a lilac dress with a black bow. Circa 1860. Signature below right, partially visible. Size with frame 59cm x 49cm Size without frame 33cm x 24cm The portr...
Category

Mid-19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Chalk, Crayon, Carbon Pencil

Russian Traveler Genre Portrait 19th Century Oil Painting Signed Framed
Located in Stockholm, SE
The short signature lower left a monogram of joined Cyrillic letters "V" and "P" with date 77, leads to the Russian painter Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov (1844 - 1927). Here we have pl...
Category

Late 19th Century Realist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Wood, Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Cardboard

Woman in Harvest Fields Next to Coastal Seascape Victorian Oil Painting canvas
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
The Harvest Workers English School, 19th century oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 24 x 16.5 inches provenance: from a collection in England condition: very good and sound condition
Category

19th Century Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Portrait of man seated at Torah
Located in Genève, GE
Work on canvas
Category

Late 19th Century French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

A Full-Length Portrait of Nicholas I of Russia in a Classical Setting
Located in London, GB
A Full-Length Portrait of Nicholas I of Russia in a classical setting. Pietro Labruzzi (1739–1805). 1802.    Signed, located and dated lower left: ‘Pietro Labruzzi Roma Pinx Anno 180...
Category

Early 1800s Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Marin sur le pont" by Edmond de Palezieux - Oil on canvas
Located in Geneva, CH
oil on canvas without frame One point of restoration
Category

1890s French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Horse Carriage in the Bourgeoise Yard
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
James Thomas Wheeler (1849 - 1888) Horse Carriage in the Yard Oil on canvas signed low right Old original frame gilded with leaves Canvas size : 55 X 65 cm Frame size : 85 X 95 cm
Category

1880s Academic Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Pair of women portraits
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
Charles CHAPLIN (Les Andelys 1825 – Paris, 1891) Portraits of women Pair of oils on rectangular canvases H. 60 cm; L. 50 cm Signed Student of Michel Martin Drolling at the École des...
Category

1850s French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Sketch of a dandy portrait
Located in BELEYMAS, FR
French school circa 1840 Sketch of a dandy portrait Oil on canvas mounted on cardboard H. 21 cm; L. 20.5 cm
Category

1830s French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nude Female Holding a Seashell, 19th Century
Located in Blackwater, GB
"Femme Nue Avec Coquillage" , 19th Century School of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875) Large 19th Century French portrait of a nude female holding a shell, oil on canvas scho...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Jeune Fille en Blanc - 19th Century Oil Painting Portrait 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

The Rose, 19th Century by Emma SANDYS (1834-1877)
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Rose, 19th Century by Emma SANDYS (1834-1877) similar to $70,000 Large 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite portrait of a young red haired girl holding a rose, oil on canvas by Emma San...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

The Prayer Of St Joan Of Arc, 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite School
Located in Blackwater, GB
The Prayer Of St Joan Of Arc, 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite School 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite depiction of the prayer of St Joan Of Arc, oil on panel. Excellent quality and conditio...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fine British Sporting Art Antique Oil Painting Portrait of Horse in Stable 1891
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
"Flexible" by George Paice (1854-1925) British signed and dated 1891 titled oil painting on artists board, 8.75 x 12 inches framed condition: overall very pleasing and good provenan...
Category

1890s Victorian Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait After John Constable, Sotheby's Provenance
Located in Larchmont, NY
After John Constable (British, 1776-1837) Portrait of A Man, c. 1800 Oil on canvas 23 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. Framed: 34 x 29 3/4 x 2 3/4 in. Sotheby's Provenance John Constable was bor...
Category

19th Century English School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Group of Three 19th Century Framed Painted Silhouettes
Located in San Francisco, CA
Group of Three 19th Century Framed Painted Silhouettes Framed in black: Male: 6.25x7.75, unframed 5.5x7 Framed in black: Female: 4.75x6.25, unframed 2.x2.75 Gilded frame: Female: ...
Category

19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Ink

Portrait of a young Moroccan in profile
Located in PARIS, FR
Charles Zacharie LANDELLE Laval 1821 - Chennevières-sur-Marne 1908 Portrait of a young Moroccan in profile Tanger, 1853 Oil on paper mounted on panel Signed lower left and dated and...
Category

Mid-19th Century French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Signed Fabulous 19th Century Male Mustache Portrait Dutch Ripple Frame Drawing
Located in Buffalo, NY
Incredibly well executed and superb subject. A 19th century portrait of a handsome young man with a mustache. Framed in a Dutch ripple wood molding...
Category

1890s Photorealist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Shop Antique and Vintage Portrait Paintings

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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