Portrait Paintings

These paintings are images taken directly from life with my daughters. They each represent a fragment of their childhood that is rapidly disappearing. I have chosen to create visual images that celebrate all that comes with the evolution from girlhood to womanhood. ADRIENNE BROWN...

Portrait Of A Lady As Diana, 17th Century Dutch School Large 17th Century Dutch Old Master portrait of a lady as Diana, oil on canvas . Exc...

Portrait of a Miss Anna Davenport, dated 1853 by Charles V BOND (19th century) Large 19th Century American School portrait traditionally identified as a Miss Anna Davenport of Detr...

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. About Artist Ola...

Pausing for Lunch English School (mid 19th century) oil on panel, framed in antique maple wood frame. framed: 12 x 10.5 inches painting : 9 x 7 inches Provenance: private collection...

MARLENA NIZIO Studied painting under prof. Jerzy Nowosielski at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. She received her diploma in 1986. She was a holder of scholarship of the Ministry ...

Oil on canvas Nino Tolomashvili is a Georgian painter born in 2003 who lives and works in Tbilisi, Georgia. After completing her schooling, she pursued her studies at the Tbilisi St...

Jean-Baptiste SANTERRE (Magny-en-Vexin, 1658- Paris, 1717) The cabbage cutter Oil on canvas H. 86 cm; L. 70 cm Jean-Baptiste Santerre began his apprent...

This lovely Scottish Edwardian oval portrait oil painting is by noted artist George Harcourt. Painted circa 1910 it is a three-quarter length standing portrait of a young girl facing...

MICHELE MIKESELL b. 1973, Alabama, USA In 2002, Michele Mikesell earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in graphic design from Texas Women's University in Denton, TX. Mikesel...

This tender interior scene by Henry Bacon captures a moment of warmth and domestic harmony. A young mother leans gently over a carved red cradle while her daughter, dressed in a whit...

Gerard SOEST (1600 - 1681) Portrait of a Young Boy oil on canvas 35.5 x 30.5 inches inc. frame Gerard Soest (circa 1600 – 11 February 1681), also known as Gerald Soest, was a portra...

Ecole de Paris, mid century oil on canvas portrait of a mother and child by Guy Cambier. The painting is signed bottom left and there is a very faint chalk inscription with date to the back of the canvas. Presented in a fine custom gilt wood frame. This exquisite painting captures a tender, timeless moment between a mother and child, rendered with soft, evocative brushstrokes. The palette of muted earth tones with hints of blue and lavender imbues the scene with warmth and serenity. The mother, adorned in flowing robes, gazes downward with a gentle, contemplative expression, while the child's innocent face exudes calm and trust, resting securely in her embrace. The textured background, a blend of abstract patterns, contrasts with the smooth rendering of the figures, enhancing the ethereal atmosphere. The intricate gold frame adds a classic touch, emphasizing the painting's traditional elegance. This piece masterfully balances realism with expressive elements, capturing the universal essence of maternal love and protection. Its timeless appeal invites the viewer to reflect on the enduring bond depicted with grace and sensitivity. Guy Cambier (1923-2008) was born in Uccle-lez-Bruxelles, Belgium in 1923. He was part of the Post War School of Paris, Ecole De Paris, that included Andre Hambourg, Jean Carzou, Marcel Gromaire and Yolande Ardissone. At the age of nine years old, he lost the use of his legs caused by a tragic accident. An autodidact he studied the techniques and works of those artists he emulated, Corot and Watteau. Cambier started to exhibit in 1942, first in Belgium and afterwards in France on the Cote d’Azur as well as in the United States and in Paris at the Salon des Peintres Temoins de Leur Temps. In 1957, he received the Parisian award, “Le Prix de la Jeune Peintre”. He moved to the South of France in 1950 and resided in Grasse, where he spent most of the rest of his life as did so many famous painters at that time. Cambier became a favourite portrait artist of several celebrities and painted such dignitaries as Princess Grace of Monaco, Winston Churchill, Ingrid Bergman and Edward G Robinson...

Studio of Sir Peter Lely Dutch, (1618-1680) Portrait of a Lady Oil on canvas Image size: 29.25 inches x 24.25 inches Size including frame: 37...

B. Zickler Msrienbad (Marienbad?), c. 1920s Oil on wood panel 13 1/4 x 10 1/4 in. Framed: 17 x 14 x 1 in. This painting was likely executed by a German artist, who is only known to ...

Giuseppe Penuti Portrait Of Man With Bracco 1868 oil painting on canvas depicting a gentleman in elegant dark clothes embellished with jewelry, brooches, and watches. The man is port...

In continuing with representing fine artists that are connected to the music industry we are please to represent the paintings of British artist George Underwood...

A breathtaking oil painting by Israeli Born-New York based artist Yigal Ozeri. This hyperrealist portrait of a young girl staring back at her viewer, is a classic example of the arti...

Scipione Pulzone, called Il Gaetano (Gaeta 1544 - Rome 1598) - workshop of Portrait of Bianca Cappello (Venice, 1548 - 1587) Grand Duchess of Tuscany, second wife of Francesco I de 'Medici Second half of the 16th century oil on canvas, cm. 70 x 56 cm., Framed 103 x 87 cm. The proposed painting illustrates the portrait of Bianca Cappello (Venice, 1548 - 1587), a noblewoman of Venetian origins, second wife of the Grand Duke of Tuscany Francesco I de 'Medici, whose expressive power is wisely highlighted by the composite cut of light three quarters, with the head and gaze directed at the observer. The beam of light coming from her right brings out the volumes of her face plastically and lingers on her features, highlighted by the large white lace ruff that surrounds his neck and by the details of her precious clothing. Bianca wears a dark red dress, perhaps a zimarra, embroidered in gold with a plunging neckline and a raised collar of the shirt curled in a ruff and also edged with precious lace, embroidered with the motif of the Florentine lily.   The favorite jewels of the noblewoman were pearls: we see them on a choker that adorns the neckline, in the earrings and again in the hairstyle, which sees the hair gathered at the nape of the neck and adorned with a string of small black pearls and embellished with a clasp. It is a high-quality painting that can be confined to the workshop of the painter Scipione Pulzone called Gaetano, representing at best a pictorial genre, that of portraiture, in which the master excelled. This attribution would be confirmed by comparisons with the numerous portraits that Pulzone dedicated to the Medici family. Our painting, in particular, could represent one of the versions that the workshop has replicated, at the request of the numerous art collectors who wish to have a portrait of one of the most influential personalities of the Florentine scene. The characters drawn by Pulzone were icons of incomparable elegance: noblewomen, knights and religious lent their faces to the eye of the artist who was able to grasp every meticulous detail with his superb technique. A photographic wealth and surprising material attention that trace the pictorial prototypes of Flemish inspiration, in particular of Antonis Mor...

Romantic Portraits Richir Herman Brussels 1866 – 1942 Belgian Painter Signature: Attributed to Richir Herman Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: Image size 67,50 x 62,50 cm, frame size 69,50 x 64,50 cm Biography: Richir Herman Jean Joseph was born in Ixelles (Brussels), on November 4, 1866. He was a Belgian painter of portraits, still lifes, genre paintings, nudes and landscapes. He made decorative paintings to fit into private homes. Richir mainly painted portraits. His clients usually belonged to the higher circles. He portrayed amongst others King Albert and Queen Elisabeth, Cardinal Mercier and Countess d’Oultremont. Less known are the landscape paintings he made Limburg and Kempen, where he regularly stayed with befriended artist Emile Van Doren (1865 – 1949). Herman Richir first studied at the Sint-Joost-ten-Node Academy with Gustave Biot and Charles Hermans, continued his education at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels (1884-1889) with the master teacher and artist Jean-Francois Portaels (1818 – 1895). In 1886, during his studies, he won second Prize of Rome for Painting. Richir lived in Schaarbeek. In 1900 he became a teacher of drawing and in 1905 first teacher of painting after nature at the Brussels Academy. He was director there several times 1906-1907, 1910, 1911, 1915-1919, 1925-1927. He was retired in 1927. His pupils included Albert Alleman (1892 – 1933), Éliane de Meuse (1899 – 1993), Paul Hagemans (1884 – 1959), Maurice Mareels (1893 – 1976), Guy Onkelinx (1879 – 1935), Georges Rogy (1897 – 1981), José Storie (1899 – 1961), Charles Swyncop (1895 – 1970), Maurice Schelck...

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

"Speak No Evil" is an oil painting. It depicts the artist, Maryann Lucas covering her mouth with her hand. The two tone composition represents the artist's zodiac, Gemini, and the in...

"Hear No Evil" is an oil painting. It depicts a woman, the artist, Maryann Lucas, plugging her ears with her fingers. The two tone composition represents the artist's zodiac, Gemini,...

Unknown Artist (English or American, nineteenth century) William Shakespeare Oil on canvas, mounted on board; 9 x 7 1/4 inches FRAMED: 14 1/2 x 13 inches (approx.) This work depicts...

Konstantin Yegorovich Makovsky (Russian 1839 – 1915) was an influential Russian painter At the World's Fair of 1889 in Paris, he received the Large Gold Medal for his paintings Deat...

This painting of a bartender waiting for an order is an unusual composition for Fred Machetanz, who is known for his scenes of Alaska. It has been speculated that this was likely co...

Jean Louis Hamon artfully presents the mythological subject: Aurora the Goddess of Dawn. She is dressed in a flowing toga, standing on a large leaf and smelling the sweetness of a flower in bloom. Surrounded by lush plants in an idyllic setting of pinks and blues, one would not think that this peaceful and beautiful work was painted in 1864 at the time of the American Civil War. Hamon meticulously renders the scene with the academic precision of Bouguereau. The closer you get, the more detail you discover. Two butterflies sit atop Aurora's head. Droplets of water gracefully roll down her hair. There was a hand colored steel plate...

"Visions of Johanna" is a colorful summertime portrait of nude woman swimming in the backgrounds and posing in the foreground. Nick Weber (b.1971), living ...

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (issued by The Gal...

Circle Of Sir Peter Lely A set of five portraits: Catherine Southwell, Lady Percival, Catherine Percival, Catherine Percival and Lady Southwell Oil on canvas, in painted ovals Va...

Frame: 27 X 21 Image: 23.5 X 17.5 Barry Leighton-Jones was born in London, England in 1932 and is a direct descendant of the Victorian artist and President of the Royal Academy, Lor...

Antoine VESTIER, attributed to (Avallon, 1740 - Paris, 1824) Portrait of a man under the Revolution Oil on canvas H. 46 cm; L. 37 cm Circa 1793-95 This beautiful unsigned portrait i...

The Christ Child as Redeemer of the World Oil on Canvas, 69.3 x 49.7 cm Provenance Private Collection, Belgium The present painting is known in different versions. One of them is ...

This little jewel of a pastel of a young boy in his smart red jacket and silver trimmed waistcoat is by an artist working in the circle of Arthur Pond and ...

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...

Giovanni Camillo Sagrestani (Florence 1660 - Florence 1731) circle of - San Girolamo. 96 x 72 cm unframed, 112 x 88 cm with frame (not signed). Antique oil painting on canvas, in a...

James Fellowes Flourished 1719 - 1750 Portrait of William Henry Kerr, Earl of Ancram, 4th Marquess of Lothian Oil on canvas, signed & dated 1747 Image size: 29 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches (75 x 62 cm) Original gilt wood frame William Henry Kerr was born a member of the Scottish peerage to William, third Marquess of Lothian, and his first wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Nicholson of Kemnay, first Baronet. William was styled Master Jedburgh until 1722, when his father was elevated to a Marquessate, after which he was referred to as Lord Jedburgh until 1735. Following his father’s military footsteps, on 20 June 1735 Ancram was commissioned as a cornet to the regiment (11th Dragoons) of his grand-uncle, Lord Mark Kerr. Ancram married Lady Caroline...

In his work, Tetteh condenses the internal sentiments and tensions of his characters and focuses them, using the eyes as the outlet for expression. In this way his subjects become in...

“I paint the human figure and explore further till I reach the Beauty of Being, the Soul.. the part of Human Being where everything is in total Serenity, Goodness and Harmony, where ...

Portrait of a Gentleman in Formal Attire French School, 19th century oil on board, framed framed: 17 x 14 inches board : 13 x 10.5 inches Provenance: private collection, Paris, Franc...

Self-portrait by Edouard Dumoulin (1898 - 1973) 1928 Oil on canvas 48 x 37 cm (54 x 42 cm with frame 18.9 x 14.57 in (21.26 x 16.54 in with frame) Signed and dated lower left Online...

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...

Portrait of a Mother & Baby, 19th Century School of Friedrich August Von Kaulbach (1850-1920) Fine large 19th Century portrait of a mother and b...

Frédéric-Christophe, Comte d'Houdetot (Paris, France, 1778 - 1859) Title: Portrait of Giovanni Antonio Filippini Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: without frame 72.50 x 42 cm - with ...

Today's newly minted fine art stars are from the mid-century surrealism school and include Gertrude Abercrombie, Remedios Varo, and Leonora Carrington, who were mostly unknown five y...

A vivid figurative portrait in acrylic that blends floral patterns, emoji-inspired motifs and saturated color to explore digital identity and self-representation. This vivid figurati...

A vivid figurative portrait in acrylic that blends floral patterns, emoji-inspired motifs and saturated color to explore digital identity and self-representation. This surreal figura...

"The Mate" (Cornish fisherman) by David W. Haddon (British, early 20th century) signed and dated 1914 oil on board, framed framed: 18 x 14 inches board: 16 x 12 inches provenance: pr...

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Circle of Willem Wissing Dutch, (1656-1687) Portrait of a Gentleman Oil on canvas Image size: 29 inches x 24.5 inches Size including frame: 35 inches x...

Long-necked , elegant slender fingers and spellbinding eyes define a quintessential Latin beauty. The painting is has a simple, architectonic composition of vertical and horizontal e...

The Cotswolds Stone Wall Builder by John Edwards (England, 1940 - 2020) signed oil on canvas, framed framed: 29 x 23.5 inches canvas : 23 x 18 inches Provenance: private collection, ...

Robert Bernard Robinson (American, 1886 - 1952) Signed: Robt. Robinson (Lower, Right) " True Indian Stories ", 1939 (For the cover of Motor Magazine, February 1939) (A copy of the ...

"Marilyn -II" is a painting by Maestro Stanislav Belovski. About the painting: Style and Technic: POP ART, Contemporary, Acrylic on canvas The painting is unframed. “The impressio...

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...

"Ready to Shine," created by Matt Talbert in 2023, is an original oil on panel artwork, sized at 18 x 12 inches (45.72 x 30.48 cm). The framed dimensions of the piece are 19.25 x 13....

Acrylic on canvas, signed and dated (lower right), 91cm x 62cm (112cm x 82cm framed). (Provenance: in the collection of the artist Michael Leonard (British 1933-2023) until his dea...

A dream spills open like an old book without words— Its pages breathe smoke and feathered wings, keys that unlock nothing, clocks that refuse to tell time. In the half-light, a figur...

This accomplished nineteenth-century portrait depicts a monk with his eyes closed in prayer. Dated and indistinctly signed to the lower right. Presented in a vintage black frame with...