18th Century and Earlier Portrait Paintings

Maid Carrying Roses, 18th Century circle of Antonio ROTARI (1707-1762) Large 18th Century Italian portrait of a young maid carrying ros...

Half Length Portrait of Mr. Robertson Sir. Henry Raeburn ( Scottish 1756 - 1823 ) Half Length Portrait of Mr. Robertson 29x 24 Purchased, J Leger & Son,...

A classical 18th-century, French School, portrait of a lady, positioned in a three-quarter view with her hand thoughtfully placed near her face. Unsigned. On canvas on stretchers.

Coronation Portrait Of King Edward VI (1537-1553) as King Of England & Ireland, 16th Century English School - Oil on panel - circa 1547 Large 16th Century Coronation portrait of Edward VI as King Of England & Ireland, oil on panel. Early and important portrait...

Saint Nazarius & Celsus (350AD), 18th Century Diptych Of The Christian Knights & Martyrs after lost work by Bartolomeo Montagna (1450-1523) Large 18th Century Italian Old Master de...

The portrait shows Mme Silvestre. Born in Paris, Silvestre was the daughter of Charles-Antoine Hérault and his wife Marie-Geneviève, who were her first teachers. In 1706 she married the painter Louis de Silvestre, moving with him in 1716 to Dresden. The couple's daughter Marie-Maximilienne became a pastellist. Silvestre died in Dresden, the year before her husband retired and returned to Paris. Her surviving pastels show the influence of Rosalba Carriera...

Louis-Gabriel BLANCHET (Versailles, 1701 – Rome, 1772) Presumed self-portrait of the artist Oil on canvas H. 73 cm; W. 60 cm Circa 1730 Originally presented in a Restoration period frame with a "Mignard" cartouche, this beautiful painting initially appeared to us as a work from northern Italy. However, it exuded a rather French form of refinement, suggesting that its artist may have assimilated a dual influence from both sides of the Alps. We thank our colleague and friend Philippe Mendès for spontaneously and judiciously "bringing out" the name of Louis-Gabriel Blanchet, a Romanized French portraitist, whose spirit and stylistic characteristics we clearly recognize here. Blanchet's "French" years, before his final departure for Rome in 1728, following his winning of the second Grand Prix for painting after Subleyras in 1727, are extremely poorly documented. His father, Gabriel, was valet to Blouin, himself Louis XIV's first valet at the time. According to Thierry Lefrançois, Blanchet was one of the few students of Nicolas Bertin (1667-1736), whose studio he is said to have joined in the early 1720s. At a baptism on March 24, 1724, where he was godfather, he is mentioned as a painter in the picture store of the Duke of Antin, the director of buildings between 1708 and 1736. At this time, he was probably already married to Jeanne Quément, with whom he had a daughter also named Jeanne, who would marry Nicolas Aviet, the son of a valet in the queen's wardrobe, in Versailles in 1738. When Blanchet arrived in Rome in October 1728, he was accompanied by Subleyras, Trémolières, and Slodtz. He enjoyed the goodwill of Vleughels, the director of the Académie de France, which had been based at the Palazzo Mancini since 1725, even though the latter was not always kind to our resident. From 1732, he was under the protection of the Duke of Saint-Aignan when he took up his post as ambassador to Rome. Along with Slodtz and Subleyras, they formed a trio of friends, joined by Joseph Vernet shortly after his arrival in Rome in 1734. Slodtz and Blanchet, on the occasion of Subleyras's marriage in 1739, were there to attest that their friend was not bound by any marital commitment, and Blanchet was a witness at Vernet's wedding in 1745. It is most likely from these early years in Rome that our portrait of the artist dates, the expression and turn of his face irresistibly reminiscent of a self-portrait. The still relatively youthful features may correspond to Blanchet's thirty-something years, and the fluffy wig was still fashionable at this time. The painting fits well with the depiction of a young painter wanting to display both the beginnings of success and a certain simplicity or restraint. A slight smile expresses a form of assurance in this man with a gentle, sincere gaze and a face radiating a keen sense of wit. We find here the air of intimacy present in almost all of Blanchet's portraits, even those from the 1750s and 1760s, as well as an almost complicity with the viewer. The spirit of the painting is quite close to that of the presumed portrait of Bouchardon (painted around 1730) and the portrait of Pannini, painted in 1736, but it possesses a more natural quality, notably thanks to the absence of decorum. Our work exhibits the characteristics of Blanchet's paintings: elegance, luminosity (especially in the whites), vibrant and refined colors (here, the harmony of the garnet of the garment and the slate blue of the background, whose uniformity is tempered by a very sketched landscape and a grove of greenery), light complexions, rather rosy cheekbones, often full lips, and rather tight framing. According to the Academy's rules, Blanchet's stay should have ended in the spring of 1732, but, for reasons unknown, he remained in the Eternal City until his death, as did his friend Subleyras, with whom he shared accommodation until the late 1730s. The latter regularly called upon him to collaborate on his paintings, such as The Meal at Simon's. Through Saint-Aignan's intervention, Blanchet was employed in the late 1730s by the Stuart princely family, then exiled in Italy. He notably produced copies (now lost) after Liotard of the portraits of Charles Edward and Henry Benedict, the sons of James III Stuart. The latter also commissioned three other portraits (now in the National Portrait Gallery in London), whose more formal character contrasts with the intimate spirit of Blanchet's portraits. Blanchet frequented English painters, such as the landscape painter Richard Wilson, and studied with the Scottish portraitist Katherine Read...

Pietro de' Marescalchi, known as Lo Spada (Feltre 1522 - Feltre 1589) - Saint Ambrose and Saint Anthony the Abbot. 75 x 55 cm. Ancient oil painting on canvas, unframed. A critical...

Oil Painting After Sir Peter Lely (1610-1680) Portrait of a Lady Housed in a Lely gold Leaf Frame. Peter Lely: In 1647 he became a member of the Pain...

Portrait of Lady Mansfield of Ringwood Oil on Canvas Image size: 25 x 30 inches (63 x 76 cm) Original carved & gilded frame POA Provenance Descended through the Family Estate The y...

This accomplished 18th-century portrait depicts the distinguished gentleman Johann Leonhard Bahnmayer (1677-1748), pictured in formal robes. An inscription verso suggests that he may...

Portrait of the Hon. James Thynne (c. 1680-1704), full-length, in the gardens of Longleat House, seated beside a fountain, holding a shell beneath water spouting from a horn blown by a cherub on a dolphin. A glimpse of part of Longleat House can be seen upper left. Oil on canvas in a period giltwood frame, decorated with leaves and acorns. C. 1682. Dimensions: 145 x 123cm (57 x 48in) in frame Provenance: Ex Longleat House, Wiltshire Private collection, Bath James Thynne was the youngest son of Thomas Thynne, 1st Viscount Weymouth and Frances Finch of Longleat House, Wiltshire. He died in his youth and his Aunt, Anne Kingsmill Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (1661-1720), wrote a moving poem on his death. He was buried in the family vault at Longbridge Deverill, Wiltshire. A mezzotint of this painting by William Faithorne the Younger is held in the Royal Collection. Johann Kerseboom (d.1708) was the nephew of Frederick Kerseboom and first worked in Germany before coming to England in the 1680's where his sitters included the 'Electress Sophia Dorothea' (known from a mezzotint by William Faithorne). His early works were influenced by William Wissing...

Beautiful pastel on paper laid down on canvas in an oval shape. It depicts a young noblewoman portrayed three-quarter-length with her little dog in her arms. Seated in a gilded armch...

A finely detailed oil painting on canvas portrait of an unidentified Russian officer, dating to the 18th or 19th century, unsigned, and housed in a spe...

Portrait of a lady wearing a white gown with a red cloak, pearls in her hair and draped over one shoullder, standing beside a classical urn with a basket of flowers, c.1765. The portrait is believed to be a companion portrait of a John (1741-1816) or James (1751-1807) Durno which is housed in an identical frame. The sitter is possibly either the wife of John who was Janes Byres of Stonywood or John and James's sister Elizabeth. (James never married). The Durno family were based around the Aberdeen area of Scotland and John was an advocate in the area and then later a customs official in Jamaica. James was a successful timber merchant, spending time in the Baltic before being made His Majesty's Consul in Memel, Prussia. The portrait is likely to have been painted before Tilly travelled to India in 1768, when John, Jane and Elizabeth would have been in their twenties. We are gtrateful to Mark Beattie for sharing his family knowlege and research on the portrait. Provenance: With W. C. Beattie in the mid 19th century, and by descent through the family Private collection, Kent With thanks to Hugh Belsey who has confirmed this to be the work of Tilly Kettle from photographs. Tilly Kettle (1735-1786) was born in London, the third of six children by Henry Kettle (c.1704-c.1773), a coach painter, and his wife Ann. He attended William Shipley...

French School Portrait of a young woman in Louis XV period dress Pastel on paper mounted on oval canvas H. 68 cm; W. 54 cm (Frame: H. 102 cm; W. 71 cm) 18th century frame, anti-refle...

Portrait of Lady Mansfield of Ringwood Oil on Canvas Image size: 25 x 30 inches (63 x 76 cm) Original carved & gilded frame POA Provenance Descended through the Family Estate Born in Poland in 1760 to the 2nd Earl of Mansfield and his wife, Elizabeth Mary Murray would later come under the care of her uncle, William Murray (1st Earl of Mansfield) at Kenwood House in Hampstead. David Murray (2nd Earl of Mansfield) was set to inherit the title and full wealth of his uncle, including Kenwood House. Lady Mansfield’s second cousin would soon join her at Kenwood, where they would be raised together and featured in multiple portraits of the time. Her younger sister, Henrietta, is seen in a separate portrait done by Thomas Hudson as well. At the age of 25 she married George Finch-Hatton, an English aristocrat and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1772-1784. Gazing out at the viewer, Lady Mansfield wears a decorated dress, with an abundance of pearls and lace, and a transparent gold lined veil surrounding her right shoulder. The excess of luxurious fabric matches another Hudson portrait of another Lady Mansfield, with the lace detailing and complementary bodice. The depiction of this Lady Mansfield epitomizes the style of portraiture in the 18th century, such as the styles Hudson’s pupils Joshua Reynolds, Joseph Wright, and Peter Toms. From Hudson’s travels to the Low Countries and Italy, he no doubt brought back artistic inspiration from the international pieces he encountered. Thomas Hudson Hudson was a celebrated 18th century portrait painter. Born in Devon in 1701 he studied under the artist Jonathan Richardson and married his daughter, against Richardson’s wishes. He had many artistic friends including William Hogarth and Francis Hayman and travelled with them in Europe in 1748. He also visited Italy with the sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac in 1752. Hudson’s style of portraiture proved so successful that for a decade from 1745 to 1755 he was London’s most popular portrait painter and made a fortune painting the cream of London society and members of the Royal Family. He was also a talented teacher, perhaps too good, as subsequently a number of his former assistants overtook him in popularity including the artist Joshua Reynolds. Hudson retired in the late 1750’s and died in Twickenham in 1779. His most notable works include portraits of King George II and George Friedrich Handel and his “Portrait of a Nobleman in Van Dyck dress.” Many of Hudson’s works may be seen in art galleries. These include the National Portrait Gallery, the National Maritime Museum, the Tate Gallery, the Foundling Museum and the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. His works are also in Museums across the world...

Oil on Canvas. 17th century Dutch school. The young nobleman, very serious, looks out from an oval painted frame, on which he rests his hand to flaunt the ring of the household. The...

This splendid panel, made in the last decades of the sixteenth century, depicts San Girolamo, a monk who lived between the 4th and 5th centuries, presente...

Portrait Of Palatine Matthew III Csák of Trencin (1260-1321) Italian School - Circle of TITIAN Large 16th Century Italian School portrait of a Matthew III Csak Of Trencin, oil on c...

Circle of Cornelius Johnson Circa 1620’s Portrait of a Officer Oil on canvas Image size: 28 x 24 inches Period style hand made frame Provenance Private European Estate This striking portrait dates to around 1620, as you can see from the images of the sash the detail is very high. The sash is decorated with gold thread and would have cost a small fortune at the time. Sashes were originally developed for a military function (making officers more visible for their men during combat), but soon became a primarily male fashion...

Portrait Of Charles I Of England (1600-1649) Wearing The Order Of The Garter, 17th Century circle of Sir Antony VAN DYCK (1599-1641) Large 17th Century English portrait of King Cha...

Giuseppe Maria Crespi, known as Lo Spagnoletto (Bologna 1665 - Bologna 1747) - Pair of Children. 74 x 50 cm unframed, 86 x 62 cm with frame. Oil on canvas, in carved and gilded woo...

Sybil, 18th Century Italian School - After Guido Reni Large 18th Century Italian Old Master depiction of a Sybil (Apollonian Oracle / Prophetess), oil on canvas. Beautiful quality ...

Oil on canvas Image size: 30 1/4 x 25 inches (77 x 63 cm) Original hand carved gilt frame Provenance Private Estate, England This is a very fine example of Kneller's work in the early 18th century. Here, the emphasis is placed directly on the sitter's alluring femininity, with this being enhanced by the falling hair around her shoulder. This looseness of focus is created with a free fluidity of brushstrokes. He has used a Rembrandt-esque technique of subtle tones in the face, and we can see how Kneller often allowed the bluer ground layer to show through when suggesting the darker flesh tones.The painterly technique seen here is an excellent demonstration of Kneller’s style. The bold handling of the flesh tones is Kneller at his most emphatic, while the sizeable areas of dark grey ground we see are indicative of his method of painting quickly, developed by this stage in his career to cope with the many demands of a large circle of patrons. The same effect is used for the shadows in the face: rather than paint darker colours on top of the pink flesh tones, as most artists would have done, Kneller instead painted in the reverse order, using the ground layer for his dark shadows, and then painting the lighter colours on top. Often he worked with an almost dry brush in strong firm strokes. Here the flesh tones have been rapidly, almost roughly painted, with bold areas of impasto giving way to areas where almost no paint has been applied at all, a trick that allowed Kneller to use the blue-grey ground layer to show darker flesh tones. Godfrey Kneller...

Saint John the Baptist & Saint Benedict, 18th Century Diptych after lost work by Bartolomeo Montagna (1450-1523) Large 18th Century Italian Old Master depiction of Saint John the B...

Portrait Of A Lady As Diana, 17th Century Dutch School Large 17th Century Dutch Old Master portrait of a lady as Diana, oil on canvas . Exc...

Giovanni Bernardo Carbone (Genoa, 1616 - 1683), workshop Portrait of a gentleman in armor with battle scene in the background Oil on oval canvas (117 x 105 cm. - In gilded frame 124...

We are grateful to Prof. Daniele Sanguineti for suggesting the attribution to Domenico Parodi (1672 - 1742). He dates the painting into the period between 1730 and 1740. Domenico Par...

Umbrian-Roman Master (16th-17th century) - Praying Madonna. 84 x 58.5 cm without frame, 96 x 70.5 cm with frame. Antique oil painting on canvas, in wooden frame (not signed). Cond...

Portrait of Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin (1746-1699), 17th Century by Jacob Ferdinand Voet (1639-1689) Large 17th Century Italian portrait o...

Thomas Hudson 1701 – 1779 Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas Image size: 30 x 25 inches Original carved giltwood frame Hudson had many assistants, and employed the specialist drapery ...

Portrait of Sir William Cowper [1639-1706] Circle of Michael Dahl. (unsigned)Oil painting on canvas 17th century oval, bust-length, with a long dark wig,...

The painting depicts James (Jacques) Dalbiac, his wife Louise (ne de la Porte) and their five children, James, Charles, Louise, Marianne and Martha in the ornamental gardens of a grand country estate. The extensive gardens extend into the distance with gardeners working in the background and figures strolling through the avenues of trees. A peacock and peahen can be seen on the wall to the left and a potted orange tree to the right. Louise Dalbiac holds an orange taken from the orange tree, aluding to the family's faith and their loyalty to the protestant King William of Orange and their adopted country. The Dalbiacs were wealthy London silk and velvet merchants of French Huguenot origin who had fled France at the end of the 17th century to escape persecution for their protestant faith. England offered safe refuge and their skills and industriousness allowed them to establish one of the most successful businesses in London's Spitalfields which became a new centre of the silk trade, effectively leading to the collapse of the once dominant French silk industry. Both sons, James and Charles followed their father and Uncle into the family business, successfully growing the family's fortune and each going on to own their own country estates. A conversation piece is a genre of painting used to describe group portraits of families and friends, often depicted with their servants and family pets and set within an elegantly furnished interior or the garden of a grand country house. They were a celebration of the intimacy of family relations as well as a sign of status, property and the power of succession. The informality of conversation pieces grew popular in 18th century England, allowing the sitters to present themselves in a more relaxed pose, perhaps engaged in intellectual conversation or showing their talents or interests. In this present portrait, the Dalbiacs are shown richly dressed and and at leisure in a grand country house setting, conveying their success and cultural and social aspirations. Charles Philips (c.1703–1747) was an English artist known for painting a number of portraits and conversation pieces for noble and Royal patrons in the mid-eighteenth century. He was the son of portrait painter Richard Philips...

Portrait of Johann Quantz (1697-1773), flautist and composer, wearing a blue velvet coat, waistcoat and breeches, standing in a garden landscape with ...

Portrait of a lady, three-quarter length, wearing a blue silk gown, seated in a classical interior, with her daughter in a pink gown standing beside her holding a sprig of blossom. T...

Studio of Sir Peter Lely Dutch, (1618-1680) Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas Image size: 29.25 inches x 24.25 inches Size including frame: 37...

Workshop of Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Il Guercino (Cento, 1591 - Bologna, 1666) Saint Mark the Evangelist Oil on canvas - 85 x 71 cm., Framed 100 x 86 cm. Of great cha...

Portrait of a Gentleman in Armour beside a Table with Helmut c.1685 Follower or circle of Johann Kerseboom (d.1708) This exquisite Grand Manner work, presented by Titan Fine Art, wa...

English family portrait from the late 18th century. The canvas is aged accordingly with newsprint from October 1847. The painting is framed in a decorative gold frame with an open ba...

A fine portrait study dated 1737 portraying a young boy from a noble family bearing his first sword. Dressed in fine military-style clothing, he clutches a small sword in one hand an...

Attributed to Gainsborough Dupont (1754 - 1797, British) Portrait of Owen Ormsby, bust-length, in a brown coat, with slightly later inscription identifying the sitter oil on canvas 2...

Antoine VESTIER, attributed to (Avallon, 1740 - Paris, 1824) Portrait of a man under the Revolution Oil on canvas H. 46 cm; L. 37 cm Circa 1793-95 This beautiful unsigned portrait i...

Attributed to Jacques DUMONT aka DUMONT LE ROMAIN (Paris 1701 - 1781) Presumed portrait of Louis-Joseph de Formanoir (?-1732) Oil on canvas H. 91.5 cm; L. 73 cm Signed on the helmet:...

This little jewel of a pastel of a young boy in his smart red jacket and silver trimmed waistcoat is by an artist working in the circle of Arthur Pond and ...

Jacob Huysmans Flemish 1633 - 1696 Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas Image size: 49 x 40 ¼ inches Gilt frame Huysmans was born in Antwerp and came to England during the reign of Charles II where he became one of the fashionable painters of the court.. The diarist Samual Pepys noted the artist as capable of a more exact likeness than Lely. Certainly the diarist records that by August 1664 in the circle of Queen Catherine...

Follower of Pierre Gobert 18th century French The Duke and Duchess of Burgundy Oil on canvas Refinement and intricacy characterize these royal portra...

Portrait Of A Piedmont Nobleman & Military Officer, House Of Savoy, early 18th century Italian School Fine large 18th Century portrait of a Piedmont ...

Sir Godfrey Kneller 1646-1723, was a German born English portrait painter. He was a pupil of Bol and Rembrandt, he was born in Leiden, travelled to Rome , Venice, Hamburg and later t...

Oil on Canvas. 17th century Dutch school. The young nobleman, very serious, looks out from an oval painted frame, on which he rests his hand to flaunt the family ring. The painting...

Flemish School, Early 17th Century Portrait of a Boy in a Black Tunic Oil on panel Image size: 15¾ x 13⅛ inches This accomplished portrait of an unknown boy in his early teens was p...

Oil on canvas Image size: 17 x 21 inches (43 x 53 cm) 18th Century Carlotta frame Provenance Private Country Estate When depicting John the Baptist artists often added an outer ga...

Extremely decorative and large oil painting from the 17th century. Restored in places.   Signed and dated Simon Peter Tileman 1658 fecit 'lower right Dimensions without frame. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Simon Peter Tilemann (1601, Lemgo – 1668, Vienna), was a German Baroque painter who was active Bremen, Kassel and Italy. According to Houbraken he first learned to paint flowers and he had a daughter who could paint flowers in watercolors. He was a good landscape painter who spent many years in Italy, but later switched to portrait painting and who painted the portrait of Ferdinand...

Attributed to Arthur Pond British, (1701-1758) Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas Image size: 50.75 inches x 41.5 inches Size including frame: 58.5 inches x...

This formal portrait depicts a woman in early 18th-century dress, wearing an elegant dark gown with white lace trim and a red drape or shawl. She holds jasmine flowers in her hand, s...

Madonna & Child, 18th Century Follower of Andrea del Sarto (1486-1530) Large 18th Century Italian School Old Master depiction of the Madonna & Child, oil on canvas. Excellent quali...

Giacomo Stella (Brescia 1545 - Rome 1630) - Allegory of Time Indicating Truth, Oil painting on canvas, 192 x 74cm. - in golden frame 198 x 81 cm. The work is accompanied by a critic...

Antonio Alberti (1603 - 1649) Portrait of Cardinal Antonio Marcello Barberini (Florence 1569 – Rome 1646) Inscription on the bottom: F.M D.D ANTONIUS BARBERINUS ROM. O. CAP. S.R.E. ...

The Blood Of Christ, The Milk Of The Madonna, 16th Century circle of Adriaen Isenbrandt (1480-1551) Huge 16th Century Flemish old Master depiction of...

The work, tempera on canvas in a great state of conservation, is part of a series of four big paintings of various authors documented in origin in the Villa La Zambra in Sesto Fioren...