Skip to main content

London - Portrait Paintings

to
68
107
60
93
51
46
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
95
44
149
69
3
1
7
9
9
12
16
15
29
3
35
70
41
34
15
14
8
5
3
2
1
1
269
66
22
237
151
135
86
82
37
36
33
30
11
10
8
8
8
6
4
4
3
3
3
351
300
198
193
67
14
6
6
5
4
266
8
6,561
6,172
Item Ships From: London
Self Portrait, 19th Century Pre-Raphaelite Oil Painting
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas Image size: 9 1/4 x 7 inches (23.5 x 18 cm) Original pierced gilt frame This wonderful Pre-Raphaelite self-portrait contributes to the artistic tradition of representi...
Category

19th Century Pre-Raphaelite London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nude Posing on the Sofa
By Louis Latapie
Located in London, GB
'Nude Posing on the Sofa', oil on canvas, by Louis Latapie (circa 1940s). From a long line of renowned paintings whose subject is reclining nudes, this ext...
Category

1940s London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Young Man Oil Painting Celebrated 20th Century Artist
By Oliver Messel
Located in London, GB
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...
Category

20th Century Modern London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Rebecca Couchée by JULES PASCIN - School of Paris, Nude Painting, Figurative Art
By Jules Pascin
Located in London, GB
*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 5% IMPORT DUTY ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE Rebecca Couchée by JULES PASCIN (1885-1930) Oil over pencil on canvas 73.1 x 91.8 cm (28 ¾ x 36 ⅛ inches) Signed lower right, Pascin Executed in 1927, Boulevard de Clichy, Paris Provenance Collection Marcel Bernheim, Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, acquired from the artist, 1928 Pierre Blum, Paris, acquired from the above, 1952 Perls Galleries, New York, no. 13565 Private collection, Osaka Sotheby’s, New York, 14th May 1998 Peter Findlay Gallery Inc., New York Private collection, USA, acquired from the above, June 2011 Literature Luis Seoane...
Category

1920s Post-Impressionist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Pencil

Lilith and the Snake, Oil on canvas femme fatale mythical portrait, Signed
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas, signed lower left Image size: 16 x 15 3/4 inches (40.5 x 40 cm) Original gilt frame Provenance From the estate of the prominent art collector Leon Zielinski This is ...
Category

Early 20th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

John the Baptist
By Francesco Curradi
Located in London, GB
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...
Category

17th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Young Man - 17th Century Portrait in Oil
By Pieter Harmensz Verelst
Located in London, GB
Circle of Pieter Harmensz Verelst 1618 - 1678 Portrait of a Young Man Oil on oak panel Image size: 7 ½ x 5 ¾ inches Dutch ripple frame
Category

18th Century and Earlier Old Masters London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Sailor Smoking a Pipe
By Arthur David McCormick
Located in London, GB
Sailor Smoking a Pipe Arthur David McCormick Oil on canvas Image size: 19 x 25 1/2 inches (48 x 65 cm) Contemporary frame Arthur David McCormick (1860–1943) was a notable British illustrator and painter, renowned for his landscapes, historical scenes, naval subjects, and genre scenes. Born in Coleraine, County Londonderry, he pursued his education at the Royal College of Art in London from 1883 to 1886. McCormick’s career was marked by his contributions to various illustrated magazines, including the English Illustrated Magazine and the Illustrated London News. He participated in significant expeditions, such as Sir Martin Conway’s journey to the Karakoram Himalayas in 1892 and Clinton T. Dent’s expedition to the Caucasus Mountains in 1895. His illustrations from these travels were featured in Conway’s book “Climbing and Exploration in the Karakoram-Himalayas” (1894) and his own publication “An Artist in the Himalayas” (1895). Throughout his career, McCormick illustrated nearly thirty books, focusing on travel and adventure themes. Some of his notable works include illustrations for Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tales of Mystery and Imagination” (1905) and Henry Newbolt’s “Drake’s Drum and Other Songs of the Sea” (1914). He was also a regular exhibitor at the Royal Academy from 1889 to 1938. Navy Cut Sailor Work...
Category

20th Century English School London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Soldier in an Interior, Early 17th Century Dutch Oil
Located in London, GB
Pieter Symonsz Potter Dutch 1600 - 1652 Soldier in an Interior Oil on oak panel, red seal to reverse Image size: 15 x 10 3/4 inches Dutch Ebonised frame Bathed in a well lit roo...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Portrait of a Girl with Book, 18th Century Regency Oil Painting
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas Image size: 28 3/4 x 24 inches (73 x 61 cm) Contemporary style gilt frame This portrait is an evocative example of Devis' Regency period portraiture, featuring a pleasant looking young girl holding a book in an outdoor setting. Working with a darker palette, a strongly accented diagonal recession, and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, Devis heightens the girl's three-dimensional physical presence in the foreground of the composition. The Artist  Arthur William Devis (10 August 1762 – 11 February 1822) was an English painter of history paintings and portraits. He painted portraits and historical subjects, sixty-five of which he exhibited (1779–1821) at the Royal Academy. Among his more famous works are a depiction of the Death of Nelson and a posthumous portrait of Nelson. Devis was born in London, the nineteenth child of the artist Arthur Devis and his wife Elizabeth Faulkner. Devis was the younger brother of the painter Thomas Anthony Devis (1757–1810) and of the schoolmistress and grammarian Ellin Devis (1746–1820), teacher, among others, of author of Maria Edgeworth and Frances Burney (later novelist Madame d'Arblay). He followed his elder brother Thomas Anthony in becoming a pupil at the Royal Academy Schools in 1774 and like his brother exhibited at the Free Society of Artists, of which in 1768 their father had become president, and at the Royal Academy. Early on he came to the notice of Sir Joshua Reynolds. He was appointed draughtsman on the British East India Company's packet Antelope in a voyage in 1783, under Captain Henry Wilson. In her he was injured in an encounter with Papuans near the Schouten Islands and was then wrecked on the Pelew Islands before proceeding to Canton and thence to Bengal. During his voyages, the artist received arrow wounds, one of which inflicted permanent injury on his lower jaw. During his time in Bengal, he painted a portrait of Sir William Jones, at the time a judge in Fort William. The painting now hangs at the British Library. He was back in London by 1795 and is recorded on 21 July 1797 as living at 27 George Street, Hanover Square, where he was insured by the Sun Assurance Office. He is noted for his involvement in the creation of the posthumous cult of Horatio Nelson. As she returned from Trafalgar, Devis went out to meet HMS Victory and was present on board the ship during the autopsy of Nelson's body conducted by Dr Beatty, the ship's surgeon. With the help of sketches he took at that time, he painted a heroic Death of Nelson, which proved a sensation. Devis also painted Dr Beatty, and was commissioned by him to produce a half-length painting of Nelson as vice-admiral, which he lent to Emma Hamilton (who later lost it in an accident whilst travelling). Either the original or a copy of this portrait was exhibited at the Royal Academy two years after the Battle and many copies were made of it. Lord Howe owned one, and another ended up in the collection of the National Maritime Museum. It also appeared as an engraving in Beatty's published account of Nelson's death. Other work includes a portrait of King George III on horseback, and a range of portraits of admirals and generals, along with historical subjects, such as the Babington Plot and the signing of the Magna Carta...
Category

18th Century Victorian London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Lady, circle of Mary Beale, 17th century British
By (Circle of) Mary Beale
Located in London, GB
Painting of a lady, circle of Mary Beale (1633–1699), who was one of the first professional female portrait painters in England and a pioneering figure for women in the arts during t...
Category

17th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Henrie Bouvrie, Scène de Campagne, Watercolour Scene
Located in London, GB
Image dimensions: 26cm x 34cm Framed dimensions: 44.4cm x 52.7cm Signed lower right. Henri Bouvrie is celebrated for his masterful watercolours, which are of universal appeal. The ...
Category

Mid-20th Century French School London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

PORTRAIT OF WILLIAM WARHAM, Old Masters Oil on Wood
Located in London, GB
after HANS HOLBEIN THE YOUNGER 1497 – 1543 PORTRAIT OF WILLIAM WARHAM Oil on canvas Image size: 38 x 35 inches (89 x 71 cm) Hand made period style frame The handling of the paint in...
Category

18th Century and Earlier Old Masters London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Gold Brooch, Orientalist Oil Painting, Signed and dated 1894
By Eugene Alexis Girardet
Located in London, GB
Oil on panel, signed, dated and inscribed ‘Bou Saada, 1894’ lower right Image size: 13 x 8 3/4 inches (33 x 22.25 cm) Ornate Gilt frame Euguene Alexis Girardet A child prodigy, Gi...
Category

1890s London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Portrait of a Melancholic Gentleman, 17th century Oil Painting
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas Image size: 25 x 29 1/4 inches (63.5 x 72.25 cm) This is a striking 17th century half-portrait of a man. He sits with his body turned to the left and his head to the right. His left hand is held in front of him with thumb and finger together. He wears a loose white shirt that is opened low down onto chest while being closed at his neck with a black ribbon. An orange cloak has also been draped across his arms in a rather dramatic manner. This choice of costume is immediately notable and must be compared to other portraits of this time of Elizabethan courtiers wearing slashed silk outfits with ostentatious finery and silver swords. Indeed, if one examines 17th century English...
Category

17th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Girl with iMac, Skull and KAWS - original realist still life portraiture artwork
By Andrew S. Conklin
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Contemporary figurative painter Andrew S. Conklin creates a co...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Portrait of a Gentleman in Grey Coat & White Cravat, Oil on canvas Painting
Located in London, GB
This exquisite work, presented by Titan Fine Art, is by the notable artist Hans Hysing, who was a noteworthy painter in England; it is significant in its q...
Category

18th Century Old Masters London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

After Hours
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas on board, signed lower left Image size: 14 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches (36.5 x 44.5 cm) Hand made frame In this atmospheric scene a drunk is walking home, he must be causing some noise as another person is leaning out of his window to the right looking at him. The artist has captured old London beautifully with the old bins, advertising on the walls and the cats bemused by the drunken figure. It sometimes takes an outsider such as Sancha to appreciate the beauty of the scene. Francisco Sancha Lengo Self portrait in London Francisco Sancha y Lengo was born in Malaga in 1874. He attended the School of Fine Arts there and studied under Joaquín Martínez de la Vega, the eccentric, influential teacher that baptised a young Picasso with champagne. Such an education served him well, and by 1897 Sancha was studying at the Royal Academy in Madrid under José Moreno Carbonero...
Category

Early 20th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Board

An Artist Grinding Colours, Possibly a Self-Portrait
Located in London, GB
Jan Kupetsky (1667 - 1740) Czech School An artist grinding colours, possibly a self-portrait Oil on canvas Signed, verso : "Joseph Prinzig" Provenance: Private Collection, Hungary ...
Category

Late 17th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Peasant Girl, 19th Century English Oil Painting
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas Image size: 15 1/2 x 11 1/4 inches (39.5 x 28.75 cm) Original gilt frame This is a touching head and shoulders portrait of a young peasant girl. Wearing a headscarf, a...
Category

19th Century English School London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Coral Veil-original impressionism female figurative painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Coral Veil" by Kelly-Anne Cairns transports viewers into a wor...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nude in Green, Embracing the Self - original figurative expressive oil painting
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. This oil on board painting captures a deeply intimate and intr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Portrait of a Woman in Blue Original Oil Painting Modern British
By Lionel Ellis
Located in London, GB
Lionel Ellis 1903 - 1988 Portrait of a Woman in Blue Oil on canvas Image size: 16 x 13 3/4 (40.5 x 35 cm) Lionel Ellis ARCA (1903-1988) was an important ...
Category

20th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Suzanne Steinbacher - Austrian Surrealism
Located in London, GB
The work is unsigned. Provenance: Given directly by the artist to the present owner who was a friend of the model. Condition: Good condition apart from some scratches and pressure ...
Category

20th Century Surrealist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of Renée
By Louis Latapie
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of Renée', oil on board, by Louis Latapie (1941). When combined with the artist's passionate brush strokes, the wood panel upon which this piece is painted, creates both a ...
Category

1940s Fauvist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Portrait of a Girl
By Raymond Debieve
Located in London, GB
'Portrait of a Girl', gouache and crayon on fine paper (1966), by Raymond Debiève (1931 - 2011). Here the artist paints a young girl with blond hair in his post-cubist style. Clearly...
Category

1960s Cubist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Crayon, Gouache

Self Portrait, Oil on Oak Panel, English School, Handmade Frame
Located in London, GB
Oil on oak panel Image size: 9 x 7 1/4 inches (23 x 18.5 cm) Period style hand made frame This is a self-portrait is most likely by a 17th century English...
Category

17th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oak, Oil

Portrait of Owen Ormsby, bust-length, in a brown coat
Located in London, GB
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...
Category

Late 18th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of John Hoppner
By Sir John Hoppner
Located in London, GB
After Sir John Hoppner 1758 - 1810 Self Portrait Oil on canvas Image size: 18 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches (47 x 55 cm) Original gilt Carlotta frame This wonderful painting is after John Ho...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Colette II - Jewish Art, Post War, Oil Painting
By Joseph Floch
Located in London, GB
JOSEPH FLOCH 1894-1977 Vienna 1894 – 1977 New York (Austrian) Title: Collette II, 1944 Technique: Signed Oil Painting on Canvas Size: 120 x 89 cm. / 47.2 x 35 in. Additional Inf...
Category

1940s London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Reflections, American 20th Century Oil Painting
By Philip Campbell Curtis
Located in London, GB
Philip Campbell Curtis American 1907 - 2000 Reflections Oil on board, signed and dated 1960 Image size: 12 ½ x 5 ½ inches Original frame
Category

1960s Surrealist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of Doctor Carter, Scottish 19th Century Signed Oil Painting
Located in London, GB
Oil on board, signed, titled and dated '1858' on verso Image size: 10 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches (26.5 x 47 cm) Gilt frame This is a wonderful portrait that was painted by John Burr at a t...
Category

Late 19th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

J. F. Herring Snr Carriage horse partly tacked in a stable Oil English 1845
Located in London, GB
J. F. Herring Snr. (British, 1795-1865), A carriage horse partly tacked in a stable 1845 Oil on canvas Signed and dated middle right With an old inventory number verso Property of a...
Category

19th Century English School London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, Early 17th Century Portrait
Located in London, GB
English School, (circa 1600) Portrait of William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke Oil on panel, oval Image size: 29¼ x 23⅞ inches Painted wooden frame Provenance: 176, Collection of Francis Greville, 1st Earl of Warwick. The Trustees of the Lord Brooks’ Settlement, (removed from Warwick Castle). Sotheby’s, London, 22nd March 1968, lot 81. Painted onto wooden panel, this portrait shows a dark haired gentleman in profile sporting an open white shirt. On top of this garments is a richly detailed black cloak, decorated with gold thread and lined with a sumptuous crimson lining. With the red silk inside it’s all very expensive and would fall under sumptuary laws – so this is a nobleman of high degree. It’s melancholic air conforms to the contemporary popularity of this very human condition, evident in fashionable poetry and music of the period. In comparison to our own modern prejudices, melancholy was associated with creativity in this period. This portrait appeared in the earliest described list of pictures of Warwick castle dating to 1762. Compiled by collector and antiquary Sir William Musgrave ‘taken from the information of Lord & Lady Warwick’ (Add. MSS, 5726 fol. 3) is described; ‘8. Earl of Essex – an original by Zuccharo – seen in profile with black hair. Holding a black robe across his breast with his right hand.’ As tempting as it is to imagine that this is a portrait of Robert Devereux, the 2nd Earl Essex, we might take this with a pinch of salt. Its identification with this romantic and fatal Elizabethan might well have been an attempt to add romance to Warwick Castle’s walls. It doesn’t correspond all that well with Essex’s portraits around 1600 after his return from Cadiz. Notably, this picture was presumably hung not too far away from the castle’s two portraits of Queen Elizabeth I. The first, and undoubtedly the best, being the exquisite coronation portrait that was sold by Lord Brooke in the late 1970s and now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. The second, described as being ‘a copy from the original at Ld Hydes’, has yet to resurface. The portrait eventually ended up being hung in the State Bedroom of Warwick Castle. Archival documents present one other interesting candidate. The Greville family’s earliest inventory of paintings, made in 1630 at their home Brooke House in Holborn, London, describes five portraits of identified figures. All five belonged to the courtier, politician and poet Sir Fulke Greville (1554-1628), 1st Baron Brooke, and were hung in the ‘Gallerie’ of Brooke House behind yellow curtains. One of them was described as being of ‘Lord of Pembrooke’, which is likely to have been William Herbert (1580-1630), 3rd Earl of Pembroke. William was the eldest son of Greville’s best friend’s sister Mary Sidney, and was brought up in the particularly literary and poetically orientated household which his mother had supported. Notably, the 3rd Earl was one of the figures that Shakespeare’s first folio was dedicated to in 1623. The melancholic air to the portrait corresponds to William’s own pretensions as a learned and poetic figure. The richness of the robe in the painting, sporting golden thread and a spotted black fabric, is indicative of wealth beyond that of a simple poet or actor. The portrait’s dating to around the year 1600 might have coincided with William’s father death and his own rise to the Pembroke Earldom. This period of his life too was imbued with personal sadness, as an illicit affair with a Mary Fitton had resulted in a pregnancy and eventual banishment by Elizabeth I to Wilton after a short spell in Fleet Prison. His illegitimate son died shortly after being born. Despite being a close follower of the Earl of Essex, William had side-stepped supporting Devereux in the fatal uprising against the Queen and eventually regained favour at the court of the next monarch James I. His linen shirt is edged with a delicate border of lace and his black cloak is lined on the inside with sumptuous scarlet and richly decorated on the outside with gold braid and a pattern of embroidered black spots. Despite the richness of his clothes, William Herbert has been presented in a dishevelled state of semi-undress, his shirt unlaced far down his chest with the ties lying limply over his hand, indicating that he is in a state of distracted detachment. It has been suggested that the fashion for melancholy was rooted in an increase in self-consciousness and introspective reflection during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. In contemporary literature melancholy was said to be caused by a plenitude of the melancholy humor, one of the four vital humors, which were thought to regulate the functions of the body. An abundance of the melancholia humor was associated with a heightened creativity and intellectual ability and hence melancholy was linked to the notion of genius, as reflected in the work of the Oxford scholar Robert Burton, who in his work ‘The Anatomy of Melancholy’, described the Malcontent as ‘of all others [the]… most witty, [who] causeth many times divine ravishment, and a kind of enthusiamus… which stirreth them up to be excellent Philosophers, Poets and Prophets.’ (R. Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, London, 1621 in R. Strong, ‘Elizabethan Malady: Melancholy in Elizabethan and Jacobean Portraits’, Apollo, LXXIX, 1964). Melancholy was viewed as a highly fashionable affliction under Elizabeth I, and her successor James I, and a dejected demeanour was adopted by wealthy young men, often presenting themselves as scholars or despondent lovers, as reflected in the portraiture and literature from this period. Although the sitter in this portrait is, as yet, unidentified, it seems probable that he was a nobleman with literary or artistic ambitions, following in the same vain as such famous figures as the aristocratic poet and dramatist, Edward de Vere...
Category

Early 17th Century Old Masters London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Colbert, Afternoon original impressionist figurative painting-contemporary art
By Michael Alford
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. In "Colbert, Afternoon," Michael Alford captures the lively am...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Impressionist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Girl in a Green Scarf, 20th Century Oil Portrait
Located in London, GB
A.M. Coates 20th Century Girl in a Green Scarf Oil on canvas Image size: 14 x 10 inches
Category

20th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'The Market Seller in Nice' French Vintage Gouache Painting
By Alfred Salvignol
Located in London, GB
'The Market Seller in Nice', gouache on paper, by Alfred Salvignol (circa 1950s). The role of women as support to their families has been both very important and highly undervalued b...
Category

1950s Modern London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Portrait of Miss Tonks, Signed and dated 19th Century Oil
Located in London, GB
Oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right 1882 Image size: 36 x 29 inches (92 x 74 cm) Gilt Watts frame LITERATURE The Life and Work of Frank Holl, Ada ...
Category

19th Century Victorian London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Family
By Raymond Debieve
Located in London, GB
'The Family', gouache on fine art paper (1984), by Raymond Dèbieve. In a clear nod to Picasso's influence both stylistically and in terms of subject matter ...
Category

1980s Modern London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

The Cyclists Rest Stop in Honfleur
Located in London, GB
'The Cyclists Rest Stop in Honfleur' by Jean-Marie Luc Blanpain, oil on canvas (circa 1970s). The artist's depiction of the terrace of the well known Honfleur restaurant, 'Au Relais ...
Category

1970s Modern London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mediterranean Glow-original realism ocean seascape oil painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "Mediterranean Glow" by Alina Hubarenko is a captivating origi...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil Pastel, Oil

HUMAN ATMOSPHERE 7 - contemporary artwork, oil on canvas
By Michael Pemberton
Located in London, GB
In this collection, British painter Michael Pemberton (b. 1974) suggests we each have a personal HUMAN ATMOSPHERE. An ether where we truly exist, unseen by the naked eye but as real ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Katherine Reclining with iMac - original female realist still life portraiture
By Andrew S. Conklin
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. Contemporary figurative painter Andrew S. Conklin creates a co...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Mother and daughter by Lélia Pissarro - Oil painting
By Lelia Pissarro
Located in London, GB
Mother and daughter by Lélia Pissarro (b. 1963) Oil and gold leaf on canvas 100 x 100 cm (39 ³/₈ x 39 ³/₈ inches) Signed lower right Lélia Pissarro. Executed in 2020 This work is ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

The Musician
Located in London, GB
This head and shoulders portrait is an outstanding example of the breadth, force and beauty of this artist's pictorial manner and abilities. This captivating portrait features a musi...
Category

Late 17th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

A Break from Play
By Jane Maria Bowkett
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 24 x 18 inches Framed size: 31 x 25.5 inches Signed lower left
Category

19th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled - Contemporary Figurative painting
By Said Housbane
Located in East Quogue, NY
Contemporary Moroccan figurative painting by Said Housbane - Acrylic on canvas. Size: 40 x 30 inches. Offered framed. Said Housbane began his career by working in the fields of call...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Study of the Violinist for Holy Motherhood, pre-raphaelite, newlyn school, Oil
By Thomas Cooper Gotch
Located in London, GB
Thomas Cooper Gotch 1854 – 1931 Study of Violinist for Holy Motherhood Oil on canvas, on board Image size: 28 ¾ x 21 inches 18th century frame Illustrated in "The Golden Dream, A bi...
Category

Early 1900s Aesthetic Movement London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Transcending Marilyn - original figurative oil painting - contemporary artwork
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. This expressive oil painting captures the timeless allure of M...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Portrait of a Mary Hardy (nee Sulman), Late 19th Century Victorian Oil
Located in London, GB
Slade School Late 19th Century Portrait of a Mary Hardy (nee Sulman) Oil on panel Image size: 8 x 7 inches Contemporary frame Provenance Lady Town (Grandda...
Category

Late 19th Century Victorian London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Balinese Pottery Market
Located in London, GB
'Balinese Pottery Market', oil on canvas, by Régine van den Broek d'Obrenan (1931). The artist visited Bali in 1931 (among other islands) with her new husband, Charles. The naive pai...
Category

1930s London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Untitled - Colorful Contemporary Figurative Painting
By Khalid Nadif
Located in East Quogue, NY
Contemporary figurative painting by Khalid Nadif Mixed media on canvas, offered in a light wood frame. Signed on back by the artist. Portrait, female figure, figurative art, figura...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Colorful Figurative Painting of a Woman in Pink Dress
By Khalid Nadif
Located in East Quogue, NY
Contemporary Moroccan figurative painting by Khalid Nadif. Mixed media and paint on canvas, offered framed. Signed on back by the artist. Portrait, female figure, figurative art,...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

The Kids
By Raymond Debieve
Located in London, GB
'The Kids', pastel on paper (1967), by Raymond Dèbieve. Picasso's influence is undeniable in this artwork yet Dèbieve's own naive artistic style is on display ...
Category

1960s Modern London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Pastel

The Recital
By John Arthur Lomax
Located in Belgravia, London, London
Oil on canvas Canvas size: 12 x 10 inches Framed size: 18.25 x 16 inches Signed lower left
Category

19th Century London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Series of Four Portraits from a New York City Gay Underground Club
By Damien Smith
Located in London, GB
A series of four paintings - acrylic on stretched canvas - unframed, by Canadian artist Damien Smith (born 1969). This unique series depicts four characters in a New York City erotic gay bar...
Category

1990s Contemporary London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Je T'aime-original abstract cubism figurative portrait painting-contemporary Art
By Borja Guijarro
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. This original cubist artwork by Borja Guijarro presents an att...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Cubist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Color Pencil

The Fleet-original photo realism seascape-still life painting-contemporary Art
Located in London, Chelsea
This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. "The Fleet" by Alina Hubarenko is a captivating original seasc...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photorealist London - Portrait Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil Pastel, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All