Panel Portrait Paintings

"Patient Martyr" is a realist oil painting on aluminum panel by American painter Zack Zdrale, depicting a male model with his arms outstretched and intertwined above his head, leanin...

A beautiful early 20th century French expressionist Ecole de Paris oil on panel portrait of a standing lady wearing a yellow jacket and fur stole. This excellent quality depiction o...

Bulldog with a Food Bowl French, early 20th century Oil on board Illegibly signed, lower left 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 (15 x 18 frame) inches A tender and thoughtful portrayal of a seated bul...

"Round Portrait of a Brown and Black Terrier," French, 19th Century, circa 1850s Oil on wood panel Unsigned. 9 x 9 inches frame One of a pair of charming portraits of Black White Te...

"Round Portrait of a Black and White Terrier," French, 19th Century, circa 1850s Oil on wood panel Unsigned. 9 x 9 inches frame One of a pair of charming portraits of Black White Te...

Provenance: The Raeburn Gallery, as by Maerten de Vos; Bukowskis, Stockholm, 15–18 April 1970, lot 133, as in the manner of Anthony van Dyck; Private collection, Sweden Essay: This ...

Attributed to John Arsenius (1818–1903) Sweden Oriental Figure monogrammed lower left JA oil on panel unframed 26.5 × 15.5 cm (10.4 × 6.1 in) framed 34 × 23 cm (13.4 × 9.1 in) Pro...

Museum-quality gold ground painting from the Renaissance period by Smeraldo di Giovanni. It depicts the “Virgin of the Roses” seated on a throne h...

Dog Portrait of a Grand Vendéen Hunting Dog Jules Chardigny (1842-1892) Circa 1870 Oil on panel Signed upper left 8 x 5 1/2 (13 3/4 x 11 1/2 frame) inches Jules Chardigny was born...

Michael Carson's (US based) "Italian Chair" (2024) is an original, handmade oil painting and is framed in a black float frame. About the Artist: Mike Carson is a Minneapolis painte...

About the Artist: Karen Offutt was born and raised in Dallas, Texas by a creative family who encouraged her to explore her artistic talent from an early age. Her father is an artist ...

Artist bio/statement: Matt Talbert is a contemporary oil painter living in Southern California. Both a graduate from the Orange County School of the Arts and the Laguna College of A...

Lisa Fricker's "Skeptic" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a young girl, it measures 8 x 8 inches and is unframed but ready to hang.

A beautiful mid 20th century oil on panel portrait of a handsome young man wearing an open collared red shirt, by Madeleine Massonneau. The fine and attractive work is inscribed "wi...

John Tarantola's original nude portrait "Levi Jackson" (2015) is a realist oil on panel painting that depicts a nude male lying on a bed, looking up seductively at the viewer's point...

Carolien van Olphen Butterfly Oil on wood panel 72 x 65 cm (Framed 80 x 73 cm, frame is included) Dutch artist Carolien van Olphen has left a great impression in many places with h...

Tania Rivilis Chroma-Q 41 x 29 cm framed (included in price) 44 x 32 cm Oilpaint on wood panel Tania Rivilis (b. 1986) 2022 winner of the 'William Locke Price' ( £ 30.000 ) from ...

Follower of Johann Heinrich Tischbein the Elder (1722–1789) Man with Bagpipes oil on oak panel no signature 25 × 19 cm (9.8 × 7.5 in) 31 x 26 cm (12.2 x 10.2 in) This refined 18th...

Randall Exon (b.1956). Matthew, 1990. Oil on wood panel. Measures 24 x 36 inches. Unframed. Excellent condition with no damage or conservation. Signed and dated lower right. Gallery stamp on verso. Plastic wall mount taped down on verso. Provenance: The More Gallery INC, Philadelphia; Aramark Corporate Collection. Randall Exon (b. 1956) was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Exon earned his B.F.A. in painting from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, and an M.F.A. at the University of Iowa. In 2003, the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, staged a solo exhibition of his work. He was awarded the Thomas Benedict Clarke Prize in the 2004 179th Annual Invitation Exhibition of Contemporary American Art at the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, New York. More recently, Exon’s work was featured in Visions of the Susquehanna, a traveling exhibition organized by the Lancaster Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, in 2008, and Haunting Narratives, a major exhibition at the Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, in 2012. BORN 1956 Vermillion, SD EDUCATION 1982 M.F.A. in Painting, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 1981 Skowhegan School of Painting, Skowhegan, ME 1981 M.A. in Painting, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 1978 B.F.A. in Painting, Washburn University, Topeka, KS SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2013 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2009 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2007 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2004 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2003 Randall Exon: A Quiet Light, James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA 2001 Mulvane Museum of Art, Topeka, KS 2000 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1998 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1996 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1994 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1993 Tasis England American School, Main Gallery, Thorpe, Surrey, England 1992 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Theatre Gallery, Washburn University, Topeka, KS Widener University Art Museum, Chester, PA 1990 Charles More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1988 West Chester University, McKinney Gallery, Mitchell Hall, West Chester, PA Charles More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Carleton College, Northfield, MN 1987 University of Maine at Machias, University Gallery, ME Topeka Public Library, Central Gallery, KS 1986 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1984 More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Stoneybrook School, Suffolk, Long Island, NY 1981-82 Florence Wilcox Gallery, Swarthmore College, PA Beauchamp Gallery, Topeka, KS SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2019 Unforeseeable Thereness, Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 2018 Vis-à-Vis, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2017 The New Baroque, Booth Gallery, New York, NY, curated by Robert Zeller Painted Landscapes: Contemporary Views, Heritage Museums and Gardens, Sandwich, MA 2016 Mixed Environs: Contemporary Painters, Lore Degenstein Gallery, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA 2015 Home is Where the Art Is, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2014 Our American Life, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2014 Edge of the Seat, The Rye Arts Center Gallery, Rye, NY 2013 Duets: Art in Conversation, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2012 Haunting Narratives: Detours from Philadelphia Realism, 1935-Present, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA Structuring Nature, Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, AR Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2011 Masterworks: The Best of Hirschl & Adler, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, New York, NY 2010 Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2009 Holiday Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2008-2009 American Green – Art and Stewardship, Somerville-Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE 2008 Holiday Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2007 Finding a Form: Influences in Figurative Painting, Tower Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Holiday Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2006-2008 Visions of the Susquehanna, Susquehanna Art Museum, PA; Governor’s Residence, Harrisburgh, PA; Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD; Roberson Center for Art and Science, Binghamton, NY. 2006 Summer Selections, Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY 2004 179th Annual: An Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, National Academy of Design, New York, NY Selected Works from the Ballinglen Collection, United States Embassy to Ireland, Ambassadors Residence, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Part of the Art in the Embassies Program, Washington D.C. 2001 Personal Affinities, Contemporary Artists Influenced by the works of Edwin Dickinson, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum, Philadelphia, PA 2000 December Show, Fenton Gallery, Cork City, Ireland Works from the Archives, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland 1999 New Realism for a New Millennium, Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, NY Indomitable Spirits, The Figure At The End Of The Century, The Art Institute of Southern California, Laguna Beach, CA 1998 Visual Poetry, A Selection of Work by Artists Inspired by the Words and Sentiments of Walt Whitman, Stedman Gallery, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ The Artist's Window, Lee Hansley Gallery, Raleigh, NC Embodied Fictions, Twelve Contemporary Figure Painters, The Boyden Gallery, St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, MD 1997 Abstract and Image, Four Painters, Hopkin's Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH An Extended View: Landscapes by Philadelphia Artists, Levy and Paley Galleries, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA 1996 Figure Drawings, Hillyer Hall, Smith College, Northampton, MA Figurative Paintings, Edith Caldwell Gallery, San Francisco, CA A Show of Hands (Exhibit and auction to assist AIDS research), Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA 1994 Figures in the Landscape, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1992 Landscapes by Randall Exon & Joseph Byrne, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 1991 A Show of Hands, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA 1991 Ten Contemporary Philadelphia Painters, Westmoreland Museum, Greensburg, PA 1991 Sport in Art, Woodmere Museum, Chestnut Hill, PA 1990 Myth and Monument, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1990 Evidence of the Senses, 7 Painters, Woodmere Museum, Chestnut Hill, PA Pollack Award Winners, Mulvane Gallery, Washburn University, Topeka, KS 1989 Works on Paper, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Nocturnes, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1986 Nature Morte, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, St. Francis College, Loretto, PA 1984 The Spirit of the Coast: Paintings, Monmouth Museum, NJ Drawings: Personal and Intimate, More Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Night Paintings, Florence Wilcox Gallery, Swarthmore, PA 1983 Realist Direction, Penn State University Museum, University Park, PA 1981 Graduate Student Traveling Exhibit, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 1980 Selected Painters, Mulvane Gallery, Washburn University, Topeka, KS 1979 Artists Choose Artists Exhibit, University of Missouri at Kansas City Art Gallery, MO JURIED SHOWS 1990 Philadelphia Art Now, Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA 1989 State of Pennsylvania Juried Exhibition, William Penn Museum, Harrisburg, PA 1987 State of Pennsylvania Juried Exhibition, William Penn Museum, Harrisburg, PA 1984 Butler Institute of American Art Annual Exhibit, Youngstown, OH National Academy of Design Biannual Competition, New York, NY 1981 32nd Iowa Artists Exhibition, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA 1980 Iowa Artists Solon, Burnnier Gallery, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 1979 Kansas Bankers Association Exhibition, Topeka, KS AWARDS/GRANTS/RESIDENCIES 2004 The Thomas Benedict Clarke Prize, 179th Annual Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, New York, NY 2001 2nd Fellowship, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland Eugene M. Lang Faculty Fellowship, Swarthmore College, PA 1997 Fellow, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland 1992 Washburn Fellow, Washburn University, Topeka, KS 1989 Eugene M. Lang Faculty Fellowship, Swarthmore College, PA 1988 Andrew Carnegie Prize, 163rd Annual Exhibition of the National Academy of Design, New York, NY 1987 1985-86 1984 1981 1981 1980 1976, 78 TEACHING 1982-present 1994-00 1980-82 Best of Show prize, juried museum exhibition, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA Henry Luce Scholar, Bali, Indonesia Julius Halgarten Prize for Best Painting by an Artist under 35 years of age Academy of Design Annual Exhibition, New York, NY Iowa Artists Salon, Second Prize Skowhegan Scholarship Award, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA Student Award, 32nd Iowa Artists Exhibition, Des Moines Art Center, IA Charles Pollack purchase prize for the best painting from annual student exhibition, Washburn University, Topeka, KS Professor in Studio Arts, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Chair, Department of Art, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Teaching Assistant to Ben Frank Moss, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA VISITING ARTIST/LECTURES 2002 2001 1998 1995 1994 1993 1994, 1992 1992 1989 1987 1986 1985 1982 Pennsylvania State University, Abington, PA Hollins College, Roanoke, VA Maryland Arts Institute, Baltimore, MD Beaver College, Glenside, PA Union College, Department of Art, Schenectady, NY Allentown Art Museum, PA Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Bucks County Community College, Newtown, PA Tasis England American School, Thorpe, Surrey, England Boston Art Institute, MA Boston University, M.F.A. program, MA Beaver College, Department of Art, Philadelphia, PA Dartmouth College, Department of Visual Studies, Hanover, NH Dartmouth College, Department of Visual Studies, Hanover, NH Carleton College, Northfield, MN University of Maine at Machias, ME Horsham College of Art, Horsham, England Stoneybrook School, Suffolk, Long Island, NY Moore College of Art, Basic Drawing, Philadelphia, PA Vassar College, Department of Art, Poughkeepsie, NY PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Allentown Art Museum, PA ARA Corporation, Philadelphia, PA Security Pacific National Bank, Sanger Branch, Los Angeles, CA University of Iowa, Permanent Collection, Iowa City, IA Mulvane Gallery Permanent Collection, Washburn University, Topeka, KS Woodmere Museum, Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, PA Henry Luce Foundation, New York, NY Henry Wendt Collection, Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Sozanski, Edward J. “Simple Situations, in almost holy light,” Philadelphia Inquirer , February 7, 2003 Francis, Naila,“Studies in Light, Space,” The Intelligencer, January 9, 2003 Thompson, Jodi, “Fabulous Realism, seeing the light,” Out & About, January 9, 2003 Hopkin, Alannah, The Irish Examiner, July 1, 2002 Hopkin, Alannah, The Irish Examiner, January 2002 Sosanski, Edward, Philadelphia Inquirer, February 2001 Carr, Jeffrey, “Landscapes of the Imagination,” American Artist, January 1999 “On The Town,” New York Times Art Review, November 1998 Adelson, Fred B...

This extraordinary late 16th-century panel by an artist working in the circle of Spanish painter Miguel Barroso (1538-1590) depicts the Virgin Mary seated upon a raised throne. She g...

Carolien van Olphen Feeling Good Oil on wood panel 122 x 70 cm (Framed 130 x 78 cm, frame is included) Dutch artist Carolien van Olphen has left a great impression in many places w...

Movies, TV and magazines are constant source of inspiration. Fame, as fleckring and shallow it can be sometimes, is very intriguing to him. The worlds of fashion, society and pop cu...

Kelly Birkenruth's "Eve" (2024) is an original oil painting on panel, measuring 14 x 11 x 2 inches. This exquisite artwork features a detailed portrayal of a female back, capturing the soft curvature and delicate play of light and shadow on the skin. The lace trim of her clothing adds a touch of elegance and femininity to the composition. The muted tones and soft background highlight Birkenruth’s technical skill and artistic vision. The painting is framed, with overall dimensions of 15 x 12 inches, enhancing its presentation. Known for her ability to convey the human form with both realism and sensitivity, Birkenruth’s "Eve" is a captivating addition to any art collection. Kelly Birkenruth’s captivating paintings are in the style of contemporary realism while staying firmly grounded in the tradition of the Old Masters. She is able to pull the viewer into her paintings by interweaving emotion with a humanistic quality through her supreme handling of light. Through her portraits and still lifes she is able to evoke sensitivity and empathy, which in turn allows her to create images which transcend mere representation to capture the true essence of her subject. Kelly’s arresting compositions, draftsmanship, use of color and observation of detail allow her to create paintings with a timeless quality. After earning her degree from Pennsylvania State University, Kelly moved...

Provenance On consignment to the gallery from a private collector in Newport Beach, California. Signed "Mian Situ" on lower left Artist Statement "Miao people are one of the larges...

Amber in electric blue with yellow by David Shevlino whose female figures beautifully link traditional representation with abstraction. Through Shevlino’s sensuous application of pai...

Self-portrait of the painter with beret and brush in hand, 1930s Period: Circa 1930s Italian school. Technique: Oil on wooden panel Frame: Painted wooden frame, coeval Dimensions: ...

"The Musicians" Charles H. Van den Eycken (Belgium, 1859 - 1923) Oil on wood panel with highly ornate original wood, stucco and gilt frame. Signed upper right and dated "1893.' 10 1...

"Idol" - Contemporary figurative oil painting of a foot by Chelsea Gibson Medium: Oil on canvas Size 22 x 24 inches. Offered unframed. "Idol" is part of Chelsea Gibson's latest...

This striking devotional image, painted by a follower of Jan Gossaert, represents one of the most influential compositions of the Northern Renaissance: Christ on the Cold Stone, or C...

Study of a Manchester Terrier or a Dwarf Pinscher Jules Chardigny (1842-1892) Circa 1860s Oil on panel Signed upper left 6 x 4 1/2 (12 x 10 1/2 frame) inches The similarities betwe...

This oil painting on panel titled "Carriers On", depicts a quiet procession of repeated figures, each bowed forward in a gesture of weight and endurance. Rendered in warm, earthy ton...

Dimension with frame :54 x 47 x 4 cm

Attributed to Hendrik Hollander (1823-1884). This exquisite example of 19th-century European genre painting portrays a noble couple engaged in reading within a luxurious interior sce...

Lady Arabella Stuart (1575-1615), portrayed circa 1600 English School - oil on panel Circa 1600 Late Elizabethan portrayal of Lady Arabella Stuart in court attire, oil on panel. Ex...

Portrait of Catherine Murray (nee Bruce), Countess Of Dysart, 17th Century Attributed to DAVID SCOUGALL (1610-C1680) Large 17th century portrait of a lady traditionally identified...

"Spring in February" (2015), is a masterful realist bust portrait of a woman wearing an intricate flower crown, standing confidently, eyes locked with the viewer. This piece is fram...

Michael Carson's (US based) "Portrait of Britt Daniel" is an original, handmade oil painting. About the Artist: Mike Carson is a Minneapolis painter, and graduate of the Minneapolis...

19th Century Cesare Ciani Credited Italian Macchiaiolo Painting A beautiful, intense painting attributed to the great Macchiaioli painter Cesare Ciani. It depicts with rare realism ...

French School Portrait of a Young Girl Knitting Oil on wooden panel Circa 1840 This painting is not signed A beautifully observed early nineteenth-century French interior portrait d...

Michael Carson's (US based) "Watcher" (2024) is an original, handmade oil painting. This beautiful, handcrafted oil painting rests at 30 x 22", a...

Oil Painting on panel realized by Miloslava Vrbova (1909-1991) in the mid-20th century, depicting an elegant reclyned ballerina. Hand signed. Good condition, framed.

Charles Van Den Eycken 1859 – Brussels – 1923 Belgian Painter 'The Little Writer – L’écrivain' 1913 Signature: signed lower left and dated 'Ch. Van den Eycken 1913.' Medium: oil on...

Karen Offutt's (US based) "Luster" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a woman on an abstracted background. The painting is framed, with overall dimensio...

A wonderful oil portrait of a girl with flowers with mottled light by American artist Pauline Lennards Palmer (1867-1938). Born in McHenry, Illinois, Palmer studied at the Art Instit...

XIX Century Signed and Framed Portrait This 19th-century oil painting on panel depicts an elderly, bearded man in a moment of deep contemplation or study. The work is signed in the ...

1920 Cesare Ciani Credited Italian Macchiaiolo Portrait Painting A beautiful, intense painting, although it is not signed, is attributed to the great Macchiaioli painter Cesare Cian...

Italian painter (17th–18th century) - Seated Franciscan friar writing (preparatory sketch). 14 x 16.5 cm (without frame) - 19 x 21.5 cm (with frame). Oil on panel, in wooden frame ...

Signed and dated figurative oil on panel circa 1920 by French post impressionist painter Henri Lebasque. The piece depicts a woman in a red dress sewing while a young girl in a pink ...

Single hummingbird, oil on panel by Angela Smith Hummingbird on a green background, perfectly painted with lots of detail.  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Singl...

"NYC - Central Park West" by Christopher Clark is an original abstract impressionist oil painting on cradled board that is ready to hang. Christopher has been an artist since earl...

Kelly Birkenruth's "Adam" (2024) is an original oil painting on panel, measuring 14 x 11 x 2 inches. This striking artwork features the detailed portrayal of a male torso, emphasizing the muscular structure and the subtle interplay of light and shadow on the skin. The background’s soft, muted tones contrast beautifully with the lifelike depiction of the subject, highlighting Birkenruth’s technical skill and artistic vision. The painting is framed, with overall dimensions of 15 x 12 inches, enhancing its elegant presentation. Known for her ability to capture the human form with both realism and sensitivity, Birkenruth's "Adam" is a compelling addition to any art collection. Kelly Birkenruth’s captivating paintings are in the style of contemporary realism while staying firmly grounded in the tradition of the Old Masters. She is able to pull the viewer into her paintings by interweaving emotion with a humanistic quality through her supreme handling of light. Through her portraits and still lifes she is able to evoke sensitivity and empathy, which in turn allows her to create images which transcend mere representation to capture the true essence of her subject. Kelly’s arresting compositions, draftsmanship, use of color and observation of detail allow her to create paintings with a timeless quality. After earning her degree from Pennsylvania State University, Kelly moved...

Nadezda's beautiful new oil on panel painting "Let's Try This Water Together" (2024) is a surrealist portrait of three small creatures in a dark forest. Nadezda is a painter, sculpt...

Well painted late 19th-century German genre painting. Often painted in the Munich area of Germany these highly desirable antique paintings are always of t...

Flemish 1600s School The Card Players oil on oak panel panel dimensions 22.5 x 20 cm frame included Provenance: From a Swedish private collection. Condition: Flat and stabl...

Michael Carson's (US based) "Land" (2024) is an original, handmade oil painting. About the Artist: Mike Carson is a Minneapolis painter, and graduate of the Minneapolis College of A...

You Should Have seen the Other Gal By Jeanie Tomanek is an 8" x 8" oil painting on panel. It has on a custom frame. You Should Have seen the Other Gal was part of a boxing exhibiti...

Portrait of Mary Hammond in Sumptuous Attire, Jewels and Lace c.1618-22 Circle of Cornelius Johnson (1593-1661) This portrait of a lady, presented by Titan Fine Art, is an exquisite example of early seventeenth-century portraiture, remarkable both for the lavishness of its subject’s attire and for the distinguished provenance that has accompanied it across four centuries that adds a rich layer of historical significance. It was once part of the notable collection of Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet (1628–1699) at Moor Park, a stately mansion in Hertfordshire. Temple was a diplomat, essayist, philosopher, and the patron of Jonathan Swift. He was a key participate at an important period in English history, helping not only to negotiate the Triple Alliance, but also the marriage between William of Orange and Princess Mary. His collection at Moor Park was well known in its day, reflecting both his cultivated taste in art and literature and his international connections. Its fabulous attire, rendered with almost microscopic attention, is not merely decorative but emblematic of a world in which visual display was a language of power. Its provenance, stretching from the English country house and Enlightenment scholarship to modernist circles, forms a microcosm of cultural exchange across four centuries. Thus, the portrait of Mary Hammond stands as both a masterpiece of early seventeenth-century craftsmanship and a witness to the grand narrative of collecting and connoisseurship—a testament to the enduring fascination of beauty, status, and history intertwined. By tradition the portrait depicts Mary Hammond (born c.1602), who was Sir William Temple’s mother, and the daughter of the royal physician who served James I, Dr John Hammond (c.1555–1617) and whose family owned Chertsey Abbey in Surrey. The woman appears between 18 and 25 years old, and Mary would be about 18–20 when the portrait was painted circa 1620, therefore this matches the apparent age of the sitter and the fashion perfectly. Mary stood at the intersection of learned/courtly and gentry worlds. On 22 June 1627 she married her first cousin (a common practice for consolidating family wealth and influence during that era.) Sir John Temple (1600-1677) at St Michael, Cornhill in the City of London. The couple resided nearby, at Blackfriars. Her marriage to Sir Temple placed her at the heart of the social and political circles that shaped British history. The couple had at least five children, and they became highly significant historical figures: The eldest son, Sir William Temple, 1st Baronet, became a distinguished diplomat, statesman, and essayist, famous for his role in the Triple Alliance and as a patron and mentor to the writer Jonathan Swift – our portrait was in his collection. Their daughter, Martha Temple, later Lady Giffard, was a notable figure in her own right. She became her brother William's first biographer and a respected letter-writer, providing a rare female perspective on the events and high society of the time. Another son, also named Sir John Temple, became Attorney General for Ireland and was involved in the turbulent politics surrounding the English Civil War and the Act of Settlement in Ireland. Mary died in November 1638 after giving birth to twins and was buried at Penshurst, Kent. The family's connection to Penshurst Place is a major point of interest as this historic manor was the seat of the Sidney family, a major aristocratic and literary dynasty. The portrait was in the collection of the Mary’s son, Sir William Temple. From there it descended to his daughter, and then to her nephew, the Reverend Nicholas Bacon of Spixworth Park, Norfolk (his mother was Dorothy Temple who died in 1758). Indeed, by this time, many Temple relics were in the collection at Spixworth including the engagement ring of the illustrious Dorothy Osborne, Lady Temple, wife of Sir William Temple. The portrait thus linked two prominent English families—the Temples and the Bacons—for generations. It is listed in a Spixworth Park inventory of 27 October 1910 by the local collector and art historian, Prince Duleep Singh. He described it with characteristic precision as: “No. 69. Lady Half Length, body and face turned towards the sinister, hazel eyes upwards to the dexter, red hair dressed low and over the ears, a jewelled coronet behind, pearl ear-rings tied with black strings. Dress: black, bodice cut low and square, with lace all round the opening and over shoulders, sleeves with double slashes showing red lining and lace under, falling thin pleated lace collar, black strings tied behind it, a jewel suspended on a black string round the neck, and a double row of agate and silver beads all round to the shoulders. M. In brown veined stone frame. Age 30. Date c.1620. It is called ‘Dutch portrait from Moor Park, mentioned by Nicholas Bacon of Coddenham and Shrubland as a very valuable painting.’ A few years later, when Robert Bacon Longe’s executors sold the contents of Spixworth Park (19–22 May 1912), the portrait appeared as lot 262, described as: “A very valuable half-length portrait on panel, ‘Dutch Lady, with deep lace collar and pearl and amethyst necklace, pendant, and ear-rings, and auburn hair, with coronet’ Early Dutch School 1620.” Following this sale the painting entered the collection of David and Constance Garnett, prominent literary figures of the early twentieth century, before being gifted to Andre Vladimervitch Tchernavin by 1949, and subsequently passed by him to the present owners in 1994. The two great houses associated with the painting, Moor Park and Spixworth Park, further underscore its pedigree. Moor Park, in Hertfordshire, was among the grandest country estates of seventeenth-century England—its gardens famously redesigned by Sir William Temple himself and later influencing landscape design across Europe. Sir William's Temple's secretary was Jonathan Swift, who lived at Moor Park between 1689 and 1699. Swift began to write "A Tale of the Tub" and "The Battle of the Books" at Moor Park. Spixworth Park, near Norwich, was an Elizabethan country house in Spixworth, Norfolk, located just north of the city of Norwich. It was home to successive generations of the Bacon family, one of Norfolk’s most distinguished dynasties (later, the Bacon Longe family), who were considerable land owners (owning Reymerston Hall, Norfolk, Hingham Hall, Norfolk, Dunston Hall, Norfolk, Abbot's Hall, Stowmarket, and Yelverton Hall, Norfolk). Spixworth Hall and the surrounding parkland remained in the Longe family for 257 years until 1952, when it was demolished. Rendered with meticulous precision and sumptuous detail, the painting depicts an elegantly dressed woman—her poise, costume, and jewels all communicating a message of wealth, refinement, and social rank. Every brushstroke conveys an artist deeply attuned to the textures of luxury and the nuances of feminine dignity. The sitter’s attire is nothing short of magnificent. Her bodice and sleeves are fashioned from the finest black silk or satin, the fabric absorbing and reflecting light in equal measure, suggesting both depth and lustre. Around her shoulders lies an opulent lace ruff—a deep, radiating lace collar worked in such intricate detail that it testifies to both the artist’s technical skill and the sitter’s extravagant taste. Lace of this quality, especially Venetian or Flemish bobbin lace, was one of the costliest materials available in early seventeenth-century Europe, its weight worth more than gold, and was a marker of prestige that rivalled jewels in value. The painter has taken great care to delineate every loop and scallop of the lace, achieving an almost tactile realism. Pale skin was also a desired beauty standard, sometimes accentuated with contrasting black ribbons or strings. Her jewels amplify this display of affluence. Matching earrings and a delicate coronet or jewelled hair ornament with a feather adorn her hair, which is styled in the modest yet fashionable manner of the time. These details are far from decorative excess—they serve as visual emblems of social standing, refinement, and lineage. Portraits of this kind were statements of both identity and aspiration, intended to project a family’s prosperity and moral virtue to posterity. The portrait was most likely painted in London around 1618-1622. The low-cut, décolletage-revealing neckline was fashionable in the courts of England and France during the late Elizabethan and Jacobean eras (c. 1590s-1610s), this style did not prevail in the public fashion of the Low Countries at this time. This style of lace ruff — delicate needle lace with geometric openwork — was fashionable from c.1615 to 1622, and the jewelled caul (hair net) and lace edging over a stiffened coif are consistent with high-status English women’s portraiture between 1610–1620. The puffed sleeve slash and the use of pink satin beneath black velvet belong squarely to the late Jacobean...

Oh, to look this dashing when atop a mount. On offer is a portrait of an officer or orderly from a British cavalry regiment, perhaps commissioned for the rider’s sweetheart or family...

Michael Carson's (US based) "Stolen" (2024) is an original, handmade oil painting. About the Artist: Mike Carson is a Minneapolis painter, and graduate of the Minneapolis College of...

Brian O'Neill's (US based) "Exhale" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude male figure stooped over and keeling on the ground, with his back exposed and bowing his...