Pick up any leading interior design magazine and the likelihood is that you will see a scheme featuring a traditional portrait somewhere within its pages. Whether this is an early Tudor wedding picture, or a 19th century unknown beauty looking out from her frame, these are now featuring widely throughout interior design schemes as the trend for maximalism continues to dominate modern day tastes.
We have seen that portraits now appeal to a range of buyers varying from those looking to achieve an old world feel perhaps in the renovation of a large country house, or someone looking to add contrast to a modern interior. These buyers appear to be getting younger as well. The moneyed millennials who are looking to decorate their homes with items of historical importance and which have the cachet of a story to tell have been the surprising new buying force in this market. They are now bidding alongside London-based dealers who are often purchasing on behalf of an interior designer or private clients looking for that one special item for a room.
Valentine Cameron Prinsep, Portrait of a Lady
The beauty of portraits is that they can look as at home in a traditional Suffolk country house as in an airy apartment in London, Geneva or New York. And their appeal is certainly international. So much so that there are even now specialist dealers which operate solely within the portrait market. When it comes to portraiture, the sitter is not always known and their identity may have been lost, but this mystery adds to their romance. Portraits can add focal points to a room or perhaps at the end of a corridor and buyers are now far less concerned as to who the sitter is in the picture and rather tone, quality and style are of higher importance. Anonymous portraits dating from the Tudor period to the late 18th century can vary in price depending on quality and style with the most affordable starting at £1,000 and the most expensive selling for up to £50,000. Other popular examples can include those from the 18th and 19th century, often from the circles of Joshua Reynolds or Thomas Gainsborough. In the Fine Sale last month, we sold a beautiful 20th century portrait by Valentine Cameron Prinsep (above), it depicted a lady in a yellow dress, thought to have been Prinsep’s lover. The canvas had been torn in half by the artist, perhaps after a lover’s tiff, and thrown in a wastepaper basket before it was carefully restored. This was sold for £2,200. This was just the type of painting which is currently popular, the mustard tones of the picture with the gilt frame, combined with the romantic story behind it all created a perfect combination to take it well above its estimate at the sale. For those looking for something more traditional, another example from the same auction was a portrait of a young woman by the circle of Francesco Hayez (below), an Italian artist working in the 19th century, which proved popular with buyers due to its quality and tone and eventually sold for £1,200.
Circle of Francesco Hayez, Portrait of a Young Woman
The Affordable Art Sale also includes examples of anonymous portraits from more contemporary painters, such as British artists, Hilda Elizabeth Kidman, Robert Salmon and Philippa Maynard Romer. In addition, there is a couple of traditional style portraits by unknown artists which are copies of traditional 20th century paintings. Including the one depicted below which has been painted in the style of Fernand Toussaint and has an estimate of £100 - £200.
After Fernand Toussaint, The Japanese Print
For anyone looking to purchase a traditional portrait, we would recommend keeping an eye on our Fine Sales. These regularly yield a good handful of quality examples, ranging from the very early to the 19th and 20th century. The key elements to look out for are the brightness of colour and the condition. Often the very earliest of portraits can have been overly restored, have yellowed varnish or cracks in the paintwork. Also, it is important not to be put off the frame. Quite often these traditional paintings can look fantastic if taken from an original gilt frame and put into something more modern.
Keep an eye on our calendar of sales here.