$357,587
H 52 in W 40 in D 2 in
Exotic - Scottish 1920's exhibited 'Glasgow Girl' art portrait oil painting
Located in Hagley, England
not want to use her name in the title and it was called 'Exotic.' Norah Neilson Gray was a Scottish
Oil
$35,955
H 45.28 in W 56.7 in D 1.38 in
The Tooth-Puller (Il Cavadenti) - Oil on Canvas by Follower of Caravaggio
By Follower of Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi)
Located in Roma, IT
The Tooth-Puller is a superb original oil painting on canvas, realized by an anonymous artist, a follower of Caravaggio, in the first half of the XVII century. Our specimen is a rep...
Canvas, Oil
Sold|$1,303
H 3.55 in W 25.2 in D 4.73 in
Gothic Revival Religious Ecclesiastical Bronze Chest Casket Jewelry Box
By Erhard & Söhne
Located in Cheltenham, GB
Gothic revival religious ecclesiastical bronze chest casket / jewelry box circa 1910 A finely cast solid bronze rectangular casket features stylized decorative gothic archway panel ...
Brass, Bronze
1902 The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe
Located in Bath, GB
A beautiful limited edition set of the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe, illustrated with ten plates to each volume, and signed by the publisher. The Arnheim Edition of Poe's works...
Paper
$1,829Sale Price / set|30% Off
H 5.67 in Dm 0.63 in
Cartier 18ct Gold Nib Black Godron Ribbed Fountain Pen With Cartier Box
By Montblanc, Cartier
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Cartier 18ct Gold Nib Louis Black Godron Ribbed Fountain Pen With Cartier Box, Finished With An Onyx Cabochon Manufactured by Montblanc The pen is made from a black composite Pen n...
Gold, Gold Plate
Patitcha
By Henri Matisse
Located in London, GB
Henri Matisse Patitcha 1947 Aquatint on BFK Rives paper, Edition of 25 Paper size: 55.5 x 38 cms (22 x 15 ins) Image size: 34.9 x 27.6 cm (13 3/4 x 10 7/8 ins) HM15405 Selected Coll...
Aquatint
19th Century Watch Winding Display Cabinet
Located in New Orleans, LA
This incredible, one-of-a-kind watch display cabinet brings together the beauty of an antique with the functionality of modern technology. Crafted of mahogany, this 19th century jewe...
Mahogany
$18,567
H 1.19 in W 4.34 in D 2.76 in
Gilt Bronze, Pearl and Enamel Singing Bird Box by Bontems, circa 1890
By Bontems
Located in London, GB
A stunning gilt bronze and seed pearl singing bird box by Bontems of Paris - CIRCA 1890. The bird rises from beneath the enamal oval lid and is sure to delight!
Bronze, Enamel
$180,000
H 22.63 in W 18.32 in D 15.57 in
Gros oiseau Picasso (Large Bird, Picasso), 1953
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Palo Alto, CA
Created in 1953, this Madoura big turned vase of white earthenware clay with decoration in engobes and paraffin (red, black), knife engraved is numbered from the edition of 75. This ...
Ceramic, Earthenware, ABS
$51,440Sale Price|29% Off
H 48.04 in W 67.33 in D 1.97 in
17th Century by Giulio Benso The Expulsion of the Merchants From the Temple
Located in Milano, Lombardia
Giulio Benso (Genoa, Italy, 1592 - 1668) Title: The Expulsion of the Merchants From the Temple Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 121 x 170 cm - with frame 144 x 193 cm ...
Oil, Canvas
$110,000
H 10.63 in Dm 11.03 in
Vase, Sign: Muller Fres Luneville, Style: Jugendstil, Art Nouveau, liberty
By Muller Frères
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Vase Sign: Muller Fres Luneville acid worked Muller Feres The heart of the company was formed by five brothers (Henri, Desire, Eugene, Pierre, Victor) from a glass making family who ...
Art Glass
Tuck's Point, Massachusetts
By Martha Walter
Located in Mc Lean, VA
American Impressionist of figures on the beach on Tuck's Point which is a famous location in Massachusetts. A top 1 % by Martha Walter .. Housed in a gold leaf custom frame
Oil Crayon, Cardboard
Asprey Vermeil and Silver Table Centerpiece
By Asprey & Garrard Limited
Located in London, GB
Asprey vermeil and silver table centerpiece English, late 20th century Measures: Height 33cm, diameter 80cm This sterling silver and gilt epergne centerpiece was crafted by luxu...
Sterling Silver
$49,512
H 32 in W 26 in D 2 in
Laban Demanding the Return of the Teraphim from Rachel - Dutch Old Master art
By Willem van Nieulandt II
Located in Hagley, England
This very busy oil on panel is a Dutch Old Master painting dating to around 1620 by artist and poet Willem van Nieulandt. It is an incredibly detailed and colourful scene composed of...
Oil
William Hogarth Chinoiserie Door c. 1750
Located in Wormelow, Herefordshire
A highly decorative rare black Chinoiserie door dating to circa 1750, reclaimed from the London home of the great painter William Hogarth. With its 6 panels to one side and angular ...
Wood, Mahogany
$60,126 / set
H 35.04 in W 21.66 in D 21.66 in
Jean-Joseph Chapuis Rare Pair of Empire parcel-gilt japanned Fauteuils
By Jean Joseph Chapuis
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
Despite his long life, very little is known about the general production of menuisier (chairmaker) Jean-Joseph Chapuis and even less about his use of bent laminates, which must be vi...
Bentwood
Bulls Eye, Saturday Evening Post Cover
By Stanley Massey Arthurs
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Date: 1909 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 26.00" x 22.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right PRICE ON REQUEST- The Saturday Evening Post Magazine Cover, December 10, 1909
Canvas, Oil
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.