Studio of Louis Tocque

Portrait of a Gentleman in Armour and Mauve Cloak c.1740; Louis Tocque, Painting

circa 1740

This elegant large-scale portrait, presented by Titan Fine Art, is a fine example of Sir Godfrey Kneller’s court-style depiction of aristocratic and wealthy women. Beautifully compo...

This beautiful portrait was painted circa 1725 and is a fine example of the English eighteenth century portrait style. The artist has chosen to depict the lady against a plain backg...

This spectacular large portrait, presented by Titan Fine Art, was painted in 1714 when the artist was at the height of his artistic power. It is signed and dated by Schmutz (R. Schmutz p. 1714) and is an extremely rare and important addition to the little-known oeuvre of the artist, and further still, a wider knowledge of the artists that were active at the turn of the 18th century in England. The fact that there are successful engravings after portraits by Schmutz, such as the half-length portrait of the Comedian William Penkethman, created in 1709 further enhances the fact that he was an artist painting celebrated depictions of significant sitters. The discovery of this work may now lead to further research into Schmutz’s oeuvre. Meticulously rendered, the sitter is wearing a pink dress, holding a basket of fruit, whilst a parrot rests in her left hand. The beautiful arrangement of flowers in the urn was likely painted by another artist who specialised in floral painting – collaborations such as this were common. The painting abounds with ingenious flourishes and demonstrations of the painter's skill and superior pictorial technique. The graceful pose, sumptuous costume, rich colour, and brilliant technique are distinctive features of this portrait and it was a type that was in great demand during the 18th century, as it is today. Johann Rudolf Schmutz was born in Regensperg, Switzerland in 1670 and trained under the artist Mathais Füssli. At first Schmutz focused his training on historical paintings however quickly seeing that he was better at portraiture, which was also more profitable, he focused his study on this genre. Schmutz had heard of the success Sir Godfrey Kneller (1646 – 1723) was having in London and therefore left Switzerland to try and rival Kneller’s society portraits in Britain. Although few works are known by Schmutz, he was said to have been a success, and perhaps if he had lived longer, he may have been able to rival some of the great Court artists. His focus was on female portraiture, which is epitomised in this example, showing an elegant reclining female figure. By the turn of the century, this format of portraiture had become popular and similar examples can be seen by the artists Maria Verelst and Michael Dahl, often repeating the composition. By Schmutz’s death in 1715, he had a studio practice in Covent Garden where he was training the young John Ellys (1701 – 57), who went on to succeed Philip Mercier as the principal painter to Frederick, Prince of Wales. In comparing this portrait with the work of Ellys it is clear to see the inspiration taken, with similar compositional format and flesh tones. Held in an impressive Kent style carved and gilded antique frame with egg and dart motif. Provenance: Property of Beatrice Nellie Gillison Stayner (1912-1988) of The Grange...

This remarkable work, offered by Titan Fine Art, superbly captures the beauty for which the sitter was renowned. The subject has been depicted in a gold silk dress with a simple whi...

This portrait depicts an elegant, aristocratic women wearing a yellow silk dress with white chemise and a red mantle elegantly draped around her body. By tradition the portrait repr...

Portrait of Grace Saunderson, Viscountess Castleton (1635-1667) c.1665-67 Sir Peter Lely and Studio (1618-1680) Titan Fine Art present this work, which formed part of a collection of family pictures and heirlooms of the Saunderson, Viscount Castleton family and their descendants, the Earls of Scarbrough, at their magnificent family seat Sandbeck Park, where the Earls still reside today almost four hundred years later. It was painted in the studio of Sir Peter Lely...

Provenance: Torres Family Collection, Asunción, Paraguay, ca. 1967-2017 While the genre of portraiture flourished in the New World, very few examples of early Spanish colonial portraits have survived to the present day. This remarkable painting is a rare example of female portraiture, depicting a member of the highest echelons of society in Cuzco during the last quarter of the 17th century. Its most distinctive feature is the false beauty mark (called a chiqueador) that the sitter wears on her left temple. Chiqueadores served both a cosmetic and medicinal function. In addition to beautifying their wearers, these silk or velvet pouches often contained medicinal herbs thought to cure headaches. This painting depicts an unidentified lady from the Creole elite in Cuzco. Her formal posture and black costume are both typical of the established conventions of period portraiture and in line with the severe fashion of the Spanish court under the reign of Charles II, which remained current until the 18th century. She is shown in three-quarter profile, her long braids tied with soft pink bows and decorated with quatrefoil flowers, likely made of silver. Her facial features are idealized and rendered with great subtly, particularly in the rosy cheeks. While this portrait lacks the conventional coat of arms or cartouche that identifies the sitter, her high status is made clear by the wealth of jewels and luxury materials present in the painting. She is placed in an interior, set off against the red velvet curtain tied in the middle with a knot on her right, and the table covered with gold-trimmed red velvet cloth at the left. The sitter wears a four-tier pearl necklace with a knot in the center with matching three-tiered pearl bracelets and a cross-shaped earing with three increasingly large pearls. She also has several gold and silver rings on both hands—one holds a pair of silver gloves with red lining and the other is posed on a golden metal box, possibly a jewelry box. The materials of her costume are also of the highest quality, particularly the white lace trim of her wide neckline and circular cuffs. The historical moment in which this painting was produced was particularly rich in commissions of this kind. Following his arrival in Cuzco from Spain in the early 1670’s, bishop Manuel de Mollinedo y Angulo actively promoted the emergence of a distinctive regional school of painting in the city. Additionally, with the increase of wealth and economic prosperity in the New World, portraits quickly became a way for the growing elite class to celebrate their place in society and to preserve their memory. Portraits like this one would have been prominently displayed in a family’s home, perhaps in a dynastic portrait gallery. We are grateful to Professor Luis Eduardo Wuffarden for his assistance cataloguing this painting on the basis of high-resolution images. He has written that “the sober palette of the canvas, the quality of the pigments, the degree of aging, and the craquelure pattern on the painting layer confirm it to be an authentic and representative work of the Cuzco school of painting...

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Circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller Dutch, (1646-1723) Portrait of a Lady in an Ermine Trimmed Cloak Oil on canvas Image size: 26.5 inches x 22.5 inches Size including frame: 33.5 inches x 29.5 inches A well-executed half-length portrait of a lady painted in a feigned oval, circle of Sir Godfrey Kneller. The use of a feigned oval was a device used in portraiture to give a sense of depth and add an intimacy to the painting, drawing your attention to the sitter. The subject, posed without her wig in the undressed fashion of the day, wears a blue ermine trimmed blue cloak over a white silk robe...

Circle of Robert Byng British, (1666-1720) Portrait of a Boy Oil on canvas Image size: 28.5 inches x 23.5 inches Size including frame: 34.5 inches x 29.5 inches A fine half-length ...