Famous Portrait Paintings

Faces that have held a gaze for centuries, from Renaissance panels to Gilded Age society.

542 paintings, with works by Gilbert Stuart, Rembrandt van Rijn, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas. Most often they suit the staircase, apartment or dorm and hallway or entryway.

Showing 1 to 48 of 542 paintings

Impressionist painting of two girls on balcony, bright flower hat, knitting basket.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Two Sisters (On the Terrace), 1881 Art Institute of Chicago

Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga (1784–1792), Francisco de Goya, 1787–88, oil on canvas

Francisco de Goya Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga (1784–1792), 1787–88 The Met

Mäda Primavesi (1903–2000), Gustav Klimt, 1912–13, oil on canvas

Gustav Klimt Mäda Primavesi (1903–2000), 1912–13 The Met

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1653, oil on canvas

Rembrandt van Rijn Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, 1653 The Met

Shown from the elbows up, a young person with pale skin and brown hair wearing a wide, scarlet-red hat sits in front of a tapestry in this vertical portrait painting.

Johannes Vermeer Girl with the Red Hat, c. 1669 National Gallery of Art

From low on a hillside, we look up at a light-skinned woman and boy standing in tall grass against a sunny blue sky in this vertical painting.

Claude Monet Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son, 1875 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the waist up, an older man with pale, peachy skin looks out at us with deep-set, gray eyes under a furrowed brow, in front of a sable-brown background in this vertical portrait painting.

Rembrandt van Rijn Self-Portrait, 1659 National Gallery of Art

Impressionist painting of woman wearing green dress trying on hats.

Edgar Degas The Millinery Shop, 1879-86 Art Institute of Chicago

A young woman in a dark hat and coat with light ruffled collar sits reading a large periodical held up in her gloved hands. Flowers and foliage are suggested behind her.

Édouard Manet Woman Reading, 1880–82 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of two fishermen in small wooden boat on rocky seas.

Winslow Homer The Herring Net, 1885 Art Institute of Chicago

Large painting, standing man blue turtleneck, sitting woman with white collar.

Amedeo Modigliani Jacques and Berthe Lipchitz, 1916 Art Institute of Chicago

Dark portrait of an older light-skinned women with dark hair in a black dress and white collar, her hair pinned up. Her face is in partial shadow.

Thomas Eakins Portrait of Mary Adeline Williams, 1899 Art Institute of Chicago

A young girl with medium skin wears a striking dress of black and white stripes with a short lace collar. Behind her is backdrop featuring symbols and native figures. Mangos sit beside her.

Paul Gauguin Merahi metua no Tehamana (Tehamana Has Many Parents or The Ancestors of Tehamana), 1893 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of a placid-looking, light-skinned woman in a maroon dress, seated in a chair with yellow upholstery, hands folded.

Paul Cézanne Madame Cezanne in a Yellow Chair, 1888–90 Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of a woman in white with a bonnet perched on an architectural feature painting something to her right, a spouting water fountain, greenery, and a an ornate, low white fence behind her.

John Singer Sargent The Fountain, Villa Torlonia, Frascati, Italy, 1907 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of a red-haired, bearded man with light skin, painted in short brushstrokes and multicolored dots. The background is likewise a mass of small, closely spaced colored dots, these in green, blue, and red-orange.

Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait, 1887 Art Institute of Chicago

A pensive faced woman sits, slightly hunched, holding a book.

Camille Corot Interrupted Reading, c. 1870 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of bearded, ruddy-faced man in eighteenth century style clothing.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Portrait of a Man in Costume, c. 1767–68 Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of man wearing voluminous black cloak, feathered hat, and gold medallion.

Rembrandt van Rijn Old Man with a Gold Chain, 1631 Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of Isabella Brant, Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1620–25, oil on wood

Peter Paul Rubens Portrait of Isabella Brant, c. 1620–25 Cleveland Museum of Art

A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon?), Edgar Degas, 1865, oil on canvas

Edgar Degas A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon?), 1865 The Met

Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson (1716–1806) with a Dog, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, ca. 1769, oil on canvas

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Marie Emilie Coignet de Courson (1716–1806) with a Dog, ca. 1769 The Met

Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler), Vincent van Gogh, 1887, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (obverse: The Potato Peeler), 1887 The Met

Hermann von Wedigh III (died 1560), Hans Holbein the Younger, 1532, oil and gold on oak

Hans Holbein the Younger Hermann von Wedigh III (died 1560), 1532 The Met

Self-Portrait, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1660, oil on canvas

Rembrandt van Rijn Self-Portrait, 1660 The Met

By the Seashore, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1883, oil on canvas

Pierre-Auguste Renoir By the Seashore, 1883 The Met

Juan de Pareja (ca. 1608–1670), Diego Velázquez, 1650, oil on canvas

Diego Velázquez Juan de Pareja (ca. 1608–1670), 1650 The Met

Study of a Young Woman, Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1665–67, oil on canvas

Johannes Vermeer Study of a Young Woman, ca. 1665–67 The Met

Joseph-Antoine Moltedo (born 1775), Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, ca. 1810, oil on canvas

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Joseph-Antoine Moltedo (born 1775), ca. 1810 The Met

Madame Roulin and Her Baby, Vincent van Gogh, 1888, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Madame Roulin and Her Baby, 1888 The Met

Portrait of white man dressed in all black with medallion and sword.

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Amédée-David, the Comte de Pastoret, 1823–26 Art Institute of Chicago

Painting of mother in blue, purple, and green-stripped dress washing child's feet.

Mary Cassatt The Child's Bath, 1893 Art Institute of Chicago

Large painting of young woman in white dress sitting next to crib.

Jacques-Louis David Madame de Pastoret and Her Son, 1791–92 Art Institute of Chicago

Dark portrait of older woman in black dress with lace collar, flowers.

Gustave Courbet Mère Grégoire, 1855, reworked 1857–59 Art Institute of Chicago

Two girls in acrobatic uniforms stand in an arena, one holds oranges.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando (Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg), 1879 Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of the Jester Calabazas, Diego Velázquez, c. 1631–32, oil on canvas

Diego Velázquez Portrait of the Jester Calabazas, c. 1631–32 Cleveland Museum of Art

Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, Frans Hals, 1634, oil on canvas

Frans Hals Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, 1634 Cleveland Museum of Art

Madame Cézanne (Hortense Fiquet, 1850–1922) in a Red Dress, Paul Cézanne, 1888–90, oil on canvas

Paul Cézanne Madame Cézanne (Hortense Fiquet, 1850–1922) in a Red Dress, 1888–90 The Met

Lucas van Uffel (died 1637), Anthony van Dyck, ca. 1622, oil on canvas

Anthony van Dyck Lucas van Uffel (died 1637), ca. 1622 The Met

Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara (1541–1609), El Greco, ca. 1600, oil on canvas

El Greco Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara (1541–1609), ca. 1600 The Met

The Spanish Singer, Édouard Manet, 1860, oil on canvas

Édouard Manet The Spanish Singer, 1860 The Met

Queen Henrietta Maria, Anthony van Dyck, 1636, oil on canvas

Anthony van Dyck Queen Henrietta Maria, 1636 The Met

Portrait of Gerard de Lairesse, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1665–67, oil on canvas

Rembrandt van Rijn Portrait of Gerard de Lairesse, 1665–67 The Met

Joséphine-Éléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn (1825–1860), Princesse de Broglie, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1851–53, oil on canvas

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Joséphine-Éléonore-Marie-Pauline de Galard de Brassac de Béarn (1825–1860), Princesse de Broglie, 1851–53 The Met

Madame X (Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau), John Singer Sargent, 1883–84, oil on canvas

John Singer Sargent Madame X (Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau), 1883–84 The Met

Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743–1794) and Marie Anne Lavoisier (Marie Anne Pierrette Paulze, 1758–1836), Jacques-Louis David, 1788, oil on canvas

Jacques-Louis David Antoine Laurent Lavoisier (1743–1794) and Marie Anne Lavoisier (Marie Anne Pierrette Paulze, 1758–1836), 1788 The Met

Young Lady in 1866, Édouard Manet, 1866, oil on canvas

Édouard Manet Young Lady in 1866, 1866 The Met

Rubens, Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678), Peter Paul Rubens, ca. 1635, oil on wood

Peter Paul Rubens Rubens, Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678), ca. 1635 The Met

Famous Portrait Paintings

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