18th Century Portrait Paintings

This superb late 18th century portrait oil painting is attributed to noted Scottish artist Alexander Nasmyth. Painted circa 1790 the sitter is of the Wagstaff family, either Thomas o...

I have great pleasure in offering for sale this beautiful portrait, by Nathaniel Hone, the elder. 18th century. The painting is of Ann Anderson, wife...

Oil painting on canvas. Venetian school of the eighteenth century. The portrait proposes the figure of a young woman wearing an everyday dress, but embellished with spotted fur...

George Romney (1734-1802) Portrait of a Gentleman, traditionally identified as Edward Addison, Esq., c.1780s Oil on canvas In a period carved and gilded swept frame 76.3 x 63.2 cm.; ...

Attributed to Pietro Antonio Rotari (1707 - 1762), Italian painter of the Rococo era. His portraits, mostly of women, are renowned for being beautiful and realistic. The details and ...

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...

ENOCH SEEMAN (circle of) PORTRAIT OF SIR FRANCIS SEYMOUR AS A BOY A very fine 18th century portrait of Sir Francis Seymour as a boy,oil on canvas housed in a gilt frame, circle of Enoch Seeman The size of the painting is 49 x 39.5cm (19¼ x 15½ in.) whilst overall the size is 65 cm x 56 cm The painting is in very good condition, the Canvas has been relined, and recently cleaned. Provenance: Anonymous sale, Christie's, 19 January 1945, lot 34 Anonymous sale, Crewkerne, Somerset, 24 April 2009, lot 1947 SIR FRANCIS SEYMOUR Francis Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Trowbridge (c. 1590 – 12 July 1664), of Marlborough Castle and Savernake Park in Wiltshire, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1641 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Seymour of Trowbridge. He supported the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. In June 1611 he was accused of abetting the escape of his brother William Seymour and his wife Arabella Stuart, but protested his innocence. He was knighted by King James I at Royston on 23 October 1613. In 1612 was settled on him by his grandfather the manor of "Puriton with Downend" in Somerset, formerly one of the many possessions of his great-grandfather the 1st Duke of Somerset. In June 1642, Seymour signed the declaration that the king had no intention of war. He followed the King to York, offering to raise twenty horse in his cause, and Parliament accordingly declared him a delinquent. In autumn 1642 he went with his brother, the Marquis of Hertford, into the Westcountry to organise the royalist forces and suppress the parliamentary militia. He crossed the Bristol Channel...

Oil on canvas Image size: 30 x 25 inches (76 x 63.5 cm) Hand carved gilt frame This is a charming 18th century portrait of a young boy, sporting a golden child's two-piece with a fl...

Bust portrait of two young girls. Colour engraving in crayon manner after François-André Vincent. each 50.8 x 37.4 cm. Circa 1788, Leymarie 662, IFF 6, 74. This sheet is a typical ex...

Vittore Ghislandi, called Fra Galgario Provenance: Robert L. and Bertina Suida Manning, New York, ca. 1966-1996 Private Collection, USA Exhibited: “Eighteenth Century European Pai...

Circle of Robert Byng British, (1666-1720) Girl with Orange Oil on canvas Image size: 29 inches x 24 inches Size including frame: 36 inches x 31 inc...

Oil on canvas Image size: 20 x 24 inches (51 x 61 cm) Period gilt frame This is a half-length portrait of a gentleman wearing a emerald coat and intricately designed waistcoat, dat...

Oil on canvas Image size: 17 x 23 1/2 inches (43 x 60 cm) Contemporary William Kent hand made frame

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...

A late 17th/early 18th century Flemish painting measuring 90 x 70 cm without frame and 100 x 80 cm with a contemporary frame. An important characteristic of this painting is its str...

Charles Philips 1703 - 1747 Portrait of a King's Messenger Oil on canvas Image size: 35 ¾ x 28 inches Original gilt frame King's Messenger The job of a King's Messenger was that of a diplomatic courier, hand-carrying important and secret documents around the world. Some say that the history of the sovereigns' messengers goes back to 1199, but the first known messenger was John Norman, who in 1485 earned 4d (1½ pence) per day for carrying the state papers of Richard III. The silver greyhound on the messenger's badge dates back to Charles II. In 1660, during his exile at Breda, Netherlands, Charles II issued a declaration of amnesty to all those who had opposed him and his father. He used messengers to make his intentions known. In answer to the messenger's question "How will they know me?", Charles reached forward to a silver bowl on the table in front of him. This bowl, with four decorative greyhounds standing proud above the rim, was well known to all courtiers. Charles broke off a greyhound and gave it to the messenger as a guarantee that the message came from him. From that date, the King's Messenger always wore a silver greyhound around his neck. Later, dating from George II or III, a badge with the Royal Arms in enamel, with the greyhound suspended beneath, was worn. A George III example of the King's Messenger Badge, pre 1800, sold for over £30,000 pounds some years ago. The silver greyhounds were minted for each new reign, except the brief one of King Edward VIII. The sovereign's messengers were originally controlled by the Lord Chamberlain, being Messengers of the Great Chamber. When the Foreign Office was created in 1782, the messengers remained common to the three Secretaries of State. Charles Philips was an English artist known for painting a number of portraits and conversation pieces for noble and Royal patrons in the mid-eighteenth century. Philips was baptised in the combined parish of St Mildred, Poultry with St Mary...

Prize Bulls, Farmer & Owner, 18th Century Early French School Oil On Panel Fine 18th century French School prize bull scene with the farmer and owner, oil on panel. Very early prize bull scene with a pair of bulls accompanied by their owner and the farmer. Excellent detail with influences of Paulus Potter...

James Northcote Portrait of a Gentleman Commoner at Oxford Oil on canvas Image size: 30 x 25 inches (76 x 63.5 cm) Original gilt frame This painting is a comparatively rare example ...

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...

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...

Spanish School (18th Century), A Rare Portrait of Juan Procopio de Bassecourt, count of Santa Clara, governor of the island of Cuba between December 1796 and May 1799. The lighthouse...

Oil on canvas Image size: 22 x 20 inches (22.75 x 51 cm) Pierced gilt frame This half-length portrait shows the sitter with her head and eyes looking over her shoulder, to the right. She is dressed in a delicate blue dress and blue shawl with her hair tied up away from her face. The composition of the painting is simple but effective; the woman stands out and is the undeniable focus of the viewer's attention. George Romney's artistic style is characterised by its focus on the beauty and elegance of human forms. Here, one can appreciate his ability to capture the delicacy of facial features and the soft textures of clothing. In addition, Romney has used a soft and diffuse brushstroke technique that creates a light and soft effect in the work. The dark and diffused background highlights the young woman's figure even more, creating an effect of depth and realism. It is possible that this sitter is Miss Anne Dutton. George Romney Romney was a fashionable portrait painter of late 18th-century English society. In his portraits Romney avoided delving into the character or sensibilities of the sitter. His great success with his society patrons depended largely on just this ability for dispassionate flattery. Line rather than colour dominates; the flowing rhythms and easy poses of Roman classical sculpture underlie the smooth patterns of his compositions. From 1755 to 1757 Romney was the pupil of Christopher Steele, an itinerant portrait and genre painter. Romney’s career began when he toured the northern English counties painting portraits for a few guineas each. In 1762 he went to London. His history painting The Death of General Wolfe won him an award from the Society of Arts; nonetheless he turned almost immediately to portrait painting. In 1764 he paid his first visit to Paris, where he was befriended by Joseph Vernet. Romney especially admired the work of Nicolas Le Sueur, whose use of the antique strongly appealed to him. In 1773 he went to Italy for two years, where he studied Raphael’s Stanze frescoes in Rome, Titian’s paintings...

Portrait of a well-to-do gentleman in pastel on parchment. Signed left: Marteau L. 1760. French School, possibly by Louis Marteau (1715 – 1804) In a gilded 19th century frame. Dimen...