England - Portrait Paintings

This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Golden Slumber" by Kelly-Anne Cairns is an enchanting portraya...

The Lady with the Tambourine by Louise Alix (French, 1888-1980) *see notes below oil painting on canvas unframed measures: 20 inches high by 14 inches wide condition: overall very go...

French Landscape by Bernard Labbe (French mid 20th century) original watercolour on artist paper, unframed size: 11.75 x 8 inches condition: very good and ready to be enjoyed. prov...

The Artists Model Nude Lady Model French School, circa 1970's signed oil painting on card, unframed size: 16 x 24.5 inches condition: overall very good, a very few light markings t...

Original painting by Angela Smith showing girl enchanted by humming bird. A portrayal of young girl with brown hair tied back by white flowers looking up...

Signed to the lower right. Presented in a black lacquer frame. On canvas.

Ghizlan El Glaoui Coronation Red, 2022 Oil on canvas Signed by the artist, on verso 110 x 90cm Ghizlan El Glaoui is a Moroccan-born artist based in London, known for her richly hued...

'Crying Aztec' Tribal Cartoon Painting on Canvas by Contemporary British Artist. A thought-provoking surreal & playful reference to the concept of Ancient Astronauts using stone grey...

This portrait focuses on an elderly woman with grey hair, depicted against a dark, muted background. The subject's sombre expression and plain black attire create a sense of dignity ...

French Character Portrait French school, Mid 20th Century Gouache paint on unframed paper signed lower corner Image : 12 x 9.5 inches Superbly decorative 1960's French portrait pa...

A bold portrait of a woman placed in a blue composition. her blue jumper blends seamlessly into the background creating a distorted continuation to her clothing. Unsigned. Presented ...

Artist/ School: Raymond Heudebert (French 1894-1991), signed Raymonde Heudebert (1905-1991) began painting at a very young age and incredibly by the age of 15 began exhibiting at the prestigious Salon d'Automne. Starting as a pupil of René Ménard at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and Maurice Denis and Félix Vallotton at the Ranson Academy. In 1924 Raymonde married the future General of aviation and Minister Édouard Corniglion-Molinier (1898-1963) whose roots are Nice in the South of France where she was to live part of each year in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Title: family portrait group...

Green Trousers by Jean Marc (French 1949-2019) gouache paint painting: 15.75 x 11.75 inches provenance: private collection, South of France Superb original painting by the widely e...

A delightful 19th-century oil portrait depicting a rosy-cheeked Victorian lady with auburn curls. The artist captures the lady's elegant pose and renders her statement attire in deli...

An impressively sized contemporary copy of the original painting of the Gower family children by the renowned British portrait painter, George Romney. ...

Léon Laurent Galand 1872 – 1960 Signed and dated 1928 bottom left Artwork Size: 25.75 x 36" (66 x 92cm) Artwork Size with Frame: 32.75 x 43" (83 x 109cm) Oil on Canvas Discounted ...

Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet Canvas Size: 50 x 40" (127 x 102cm) Outside Frame Size: 58 x 48" (147 x 122cm) Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet (1628 – 11 January ...

A charming study of a young girl captured in profile. Unsigned. On board.

Artist/ School: French School, signed and dated 57 Title: Self Portrait of an artist at his easel, wearing a yellow sweater. Medium: oil on canvas, u...

Dimensions variable: small ovals 5.5cm x 6.5cm; medium ovals 7.5cm x 9.5cm; large ovals 9cm x 11cm Derrick Guild is a Scottish artist whose paintings fragment Old Master works to ex...

Original oil painting by P. Valetti (French, second half 20th century) oil on canvas, unframed size: 21.5 x 19 inches condition: very good provenance: from the artists estate, France...

Portrait of Tabatha, oil on board. Unsigned.

Portrait of a Man signed by Fanch Lel (French b. 1930) size: 10.75 x 9 inches oil painting on board, unframed condition: the painting is in very good condition. It has previously bee...

"Portrait of a Man" by Akos Biro (Hungarian 1911-2002) signed verso, oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 18 x 15 inches provenance: the artists estate...

'Portrait of Smiling Woman', pastel and crayon on art paper, by Raymond Debiève (circa 1970s). Is this a modern version of da Vinci's Mona Lisa? The simi...

Huge Colourful Male Portrait, Geometric, Cubist Original Oil Painting By European schooled artist, Mid 20th Century Oil painting on board, unframed Board size: 60 x 48 inches A fab...

The Family Portrait British School, 20th century (painted in an earlier style) oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 30 x 24 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: overa...

Female portrait, oil on panel. Unsigned. (Provenance: Studio Sale of Bernadette Kelly, Hôtel Drouot, Paris).

The Man with the Moustache signed by Louise Alix (French, 1888-1980) *see notes below oil painting on canvas unframed measures: 18 inches high by 23.5 inches wide condition: overall ...

Solo Kiss by Bolly Frost Acrylic painting on canvas signed on verso painting: 20 x 18 inches Superb original modern abstract portrait painting by the rising contemporary British painter...

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...

Unsigned. Provenance: Studio Sale, George Weissbort, 2 June 2024. On board.

Artist/ School: French School, circa 1970's Title: Abstract portrait of a woman Medium: oil painting, on canvas. Size: canvas: 27.5 x 31.5 inches Provenance: private col...

''Trendy Young Lady" by Édouard Righetti (1924-2001) Signed lower front, housed in original wooden frame oil painting on canvas, beautifully painted with rick thick impasto oil and ...

All Blue, Abstract Oil Painting, Signed By British Schooled artist, 21st Century Signed indistinctly on the back top corner Oil painting on canvas, unframed Canvas size: 23 x 19.5 inches Undeniably stylish abstract oil painting, using a rich palette of blue hues. This beautiful painting is one of three abstract blue oil...

Lady Smiling French Modernist School, circa 1960's period oil on board unframed board: 10.5 x 8.75 inches provenance: private collection, France ...

A beautiful late 20th century oil on canvas portrait of a female musician by Tim Dolby. The work is very well painted and in excellent original condition. Signed lower right. Artist...

Artist/ School: French School, circa 1930's, signed very lower right corner and inscribed verso Title: 'Jeune Fille' Medium: oil on canvas laid over board, framed in a period gilt ...

Artist/ School: Claude Benard, signed and dated 1943 Title: Portrait of a Lady with Brown Hair Medium: oil painting on board , unframed Size: board : 16 x 12.5 inches Provenanc...

This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Cannon Street" by Michael Alford is a captivating original im...

Josine Vignon (French 1922-2022) ...

This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. This captivating piece by Shaun Othen presents a figure of a n...

A charming oil sketch of a couple in an embrace. The pair look into each others eyes as they dance in a darkened interior. Unsigned. Presented in a swept gilt frame with ornate folia...

An accomplished mid-19th century portrait by the French artist Eugene Gabe, depicting a young child in a delicate white dress, cradling a small kitten. The composition instantly draw...

Oliver Messel 1904 - 1978 Portrait of a Young Man Oil on canvas, signed and dated 'Oliver Messel 1930' (on the stretcher) Image size: 30 x 25 inches (76.2 x 63.4 cm) Original frame Oliver Messel was born to Leonard and Maud Messel, née Sambourne, on the 13 January 1904 and was the youngest of three children. The family moved to Nymans, the Messel family home in Sussex, from nearby Balcombe in 1915. The house remained in the family until 1953 when it was bequeathed to the National Trust, following a fire in 1947 which destroyed a large portion of the house. The Messels originated from a line of German Jewish bankers on Leonard’s side, however, both family lines boast a number of artistic influences, including Maud’s father. Maud was brought up at 18 Stafford Terrace, Kensington (now known as the Linley Sambourne House Museum), amongst collections of antique porcelain and eighteenth-century furniture, and with a host of artistic visitors such as Henry Irving and Oscar Wilde. Oliver’s own upbringing appears to be influenced by his mother's, as the Messel family were also affiliated with artists and writers and were keen collectors of art, filling their home with textiles, paintings and collections of European and Asian fans from travels abroad. It was amongst such treasures that Oliver, Anne and Linley spent their childhood, in addition to the beauty of Nyman’s extensive gardens. Oliver was schooled at Eton but rather than going up to university was encouraged by family friends, gallery owner Archie Propert and painter and sculptor Glyn Philpot, to attend art school. In 1922 he enrolled at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, where he studied under Henry Tonks. Here, he met the artist Rex Whistler with whom he remained firm friends until Whistler’s death in WW2. Upon leaving the Slade in 1924 Oliver was apprenticed to the studio of portrait artist John Wells, where he learnt various Old Master painting techniques, and met artists such as Jacob Epstein, Augustus John and William Orpen. Whilst at the Slade Oliver developed his interest in Papier Mâché masks, a pastime popular amongst many art students at the time. Whilst apprenticed to artist John Wells several of Oliver’s masks were exhibited at the Claridge Gallery, London, alongside pieces by Whistler and other young artists. These were seen by Serge Diaghilev, director of the Ballet Russes, and Charles B. Cochran, a theatrical producer, both of whom made Oliver offers of work. His first job in the theatre was creating masks for the Ballets Russes’ Zéphyr et Flore, 1925, designed by the French artist Georges Braque, followed by numerous musical revues for Cochran, including Wake Up and Dream!, 1929, with music by Cole Porter. It was during these revues, working with Porter and Noel Coward, that Oliver also began to design headdresses and costumes. In 1932 he was rewarded with his first full commission to design both costume and sets for Helen!, directed by Max Reinhardt. The production design is still celebrated today for its innovative approach and ground-breaking ‘white on white’ aesthetic, which referenced ‘Greek temples, Rococo drapes, Baroque colonnades and Louis XIV carousels’. The success of Helen! led to further offers within the theatre including Reinhardt’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Old Vic in 1937, starring Vivien Leigh as Titania and Robert Helpmann as Oberon, the Jean Cocteau play The Infernal Machine in 1940, and Christopher Fry’s translation of Jean Anouilh’s Ring Round the Moon, 1950. One of Oliver’s best-known productions during this period was the Russian ballet The Sleeping Beauty, performed by Sadler’s Wells Ballet in 1946 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Encompassing over 200 costumes and four set changes, Oliver’s romantic designs were celebrated for bringing colour back to post-war London, and variations on his designs are still used today. Additional designs for the ballet included Comus in 1940, for which he was released from war duties, and Homage to the Queen, choreographed by Frederick Ashton and performed in 1953 for the Queen’s coronation. His first opera was in 1940 for Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Royal Opera House, followed by a series of productions at the newly founded Glyndebourne Opera House in Sussex, for which Oliver also designed the proscenium arch. He triumphed in 1956 designing a season of four different productions for their Mozart bicentennial, also providing illustrations for the programme covers. His popularity also spread beyond theatre to film, were he worked on over eight different feature films including Romeo and Juliet, 1936, directed by George Cukor. During a three-month research trip to Italy Oliver collected over 3,000 reference images including postcards of artwork by Piero della Francesca, Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, along with prints and photographs of textiles and architectural features. A production of Gabriel Pascal’s Caesar and Cleopatra, 1946, starring Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains, was celebrated for Oliver’s ability to recreate the opulence and luxury of ancient Egypt under the constraints of wartime rationing. Such was his skill that Vivien Leigh in a letter to Oliver declared that “I have of course told Pascal that nobody in the world must do the costumes except you.” He was later nominated for an Academy Award for his work on his final film Suddenly, Last Summer, 1959; an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ American Southern Gothic mystery. Having started his artistic career as a portrait apprentice, capturing the faces of family and friends, Oliver continued to develop this practice until the end of his life.  His style is said to have been influenced by Glyn Philpot, the Messel’s family friend who encouraged Oliver from an early age in his pursuit of art and design. His most prolific period came in the 1950s during which he produced over 50 portraits, which were shown in exhibitions in New York, London and Barbados. The exhibitions included both well-known faces and anonymous sitters captured on Oliver’s travels, and a number of these works have entered private collections. He continued to paint after moving to the Caribbean in 1966, capturing society figures and the rich and famous including fashion designer Carolina Herrera and Bianca Jagger. His style remained unchanged throughout his career, using the same soft painterly strokes and subtle palette as in his theatre designs. By far his greatest contribution in addition to theatre and film was Oliver’s interior and architectural designs. Another, much celebrated commission included Rayne shoe shop in Old Bond Street, where he created jewel-like interiors using the same practice of scaled models as his set designs. Other notable interior designs include those for Norwich and Bath Assembly Rooms, Flaxley Abbey in Gloucestershire, Rosehill Theatre in Cumbria and the Reader’s Digest offices in Paris. However, upon moving to Barbados in 1966, Oliver embraced a new career envisioning architectural concepts for private houses, hotels and public buildings, utilising his experience with interior design to furnish them with bespoke items of furniture and textiles. His first project was Maddox, the deserted eighteenth-century plantation house bought by himself and his partner Vagn Riis-Hansen in 1964. The existing building and gardens were remodelled to Oliver’s designs embracing an inherent theatricality with views out to sea. These were framed by terraces and verandas which extended out from the living rooms creating what is often referred to as a Caribbean style of ‘indoor-outdoor’ living. For the woodwork he used a shade of green that is now known as ‘Messel green’ and often associated with the island of Barbados. Oliver was born into a wealthy family; he travelled extensively and was exposed to art and culture from a young age. A privileged youth, his name is often mentioned amongst the ‘Bright Young Things’, for whom costume parties at country houses and jaunts to Europe on a whim became a thing of fable. This informal group included people such as Cecil Beaton (a life-long friend whom Oliver first met at Eton), Lord Berners, Noel Coward, John Betjeman, Harold Acton, Nancy Mitford, Edith Sitwell, Stephen Tennant...

"The Farmyard" by Roy Merrington, British 20th century signed lower front oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 20 x 24 inches canvas: 16 x 20 inches Lovely traditional oil painti...

Signed and dated to the lower right. On board.

Self Portrait of the Artist by Jacob Markiel (Polish 1911-2008) *See notes below oil on canvas laid on board, unframed board: 15 x 12.5 inches inscribed verso provenance: the artists...

The Artists Model Nude Lady Model French School, circa 1970's signed oil painting on card, unframed size: 19 x 25.5 inches condition: overall very good, a very few light markings to...

This vibrant oil painting depicts a figure in a red jacket and wide-brimmed hat, caught in a moment of animated expression while taking snuff from a box. Unsigned. Presented in a par...

This charming landscape scene depicts houses in a Danish village on the verge of a calm lake. Painted in gestural brush strokes and a muted palette,...

A charming portrait depicting an Italian woman in a headscarf and white robe. Unsigned. Presented in a wooden frame. On panel.

On the Beach by Helen Greenfield (British 20th century) oil painting on thin board, unframed board: 18 x 22.5 inches condition: overall very good pr...

Elegant Portrait, Mother and Child, Abstract Original Oil Painting By French artist, 20th Century Oil painting on canvas, framed Framed size: 12 x 15 ...

Portrait of a Man dressed as a Roman Soldier French artist, mid 20th century signed oil on paper stuck on board, unframed board: 16.5 x 13 inches provenance: private collection, Fran...

The Tempi Madonna, 16th Century After RAPHAEL (1482-1520) - early Christies stencil Large 16th Century Italian High Renaissance depiction of...

Artist/ School: French School, mid 20th century, signed lower right corner Title: Portrait of a man, with mustache and bow tie. Medium: oil painting on board, framed board: 22 x...

"On the Beach" by Carlos Carnero (Uruguay/ French 1922-1980) ink drawing, on very thin paper, unframed paper: 8.25 x 10.75 inches provenance: the artists estate, Paris Fine origin...

An atmospheric portrait depicting a guard bearing a large baton resting on a low stool. Signed. Presented in a gilt frame.

Portrait of an Elegant Lady original pencil drawing on paper signed by Marjorie Schiele (1913-2008) *see notes below piece of paper is 12.5 x 9.5 inch...