PORTRAITURE

Delineating the topic

What is a portrait ? What are the various forms a portrait can take?What are the different types of portraits? What is the function of a portrait?Who can be depicted? What is a « good » portrait?

Basic vocabularypaint, depict, represent, portray someonepaint the likeness of someone, draw a life-like portraitthe sitter, the model sits to be painteda pose, a stancethe expression on the face of the characterlook, seem + adjectifbe seated on a chair, a sofa, a throne…stand in the middle of a room, a landscape…look at, gaze at, glimpse at the spectator, the painterbe seen in profile, a three-quarter portraitthe head, a bust portrait, a half-length portrait, a full-length portrait: portrait

painting can depict the subject 'full length', 'half length', 'head and shoulders' (also called a "bust"), or ‘head’, as well as in profile, "three-quarter view", or "full face", with varying directions of light and shadow.

commission a portrait, a patronthe portrayal of

Here are two paintings by William Hogarth. Would you identify the two as portraits? Why ?

The lady’s last stake, 1758William Garrick and his Wife, 1757

Bronze portrait of a manGreek, around 300 BC

From the Temple of Apollo at Cyrene, Libya

high, prominent cheekbonesshort curly hair sketchily incised beard and moustachethe lips are slightly parted revealing bone teeththe eyelids and lashes were also separately madethe eye-sockets were filled with enamel (émail) paste

These facial characteristics suggest that the man is a north African, possibly an important member of the Berber peoples, the native Cyrenaicans.

Excavations at Cyrene have yielded large numbers of marble sculptures, but sculptures in bronze are a rare. This unique portrait was discovered on the marble paving of a Hellenistic temple.

Parts of the sculpture were probably gilded. The portrait may have come from a single horseman, or

from a chariot group commemorating a victory in a sporting event.

St Eustace reliquary, BM

Eustace was a general under the emperor Trajan (reigned AD 98-117) who was converted to Christianity while hunting, after seeing a vision of a stag with a luminous crucifx between its antlers. He was burnt to death with his wife and sons.

Reliquary of St Eustache,Basle, Switzerland, around AD 1210

The reliquary contains fragments of the skull of St Eustace housed in a 'head' intended to produce in the worshipper an image of the venerated saint.

The filigree on the band around the saint's head resembles the work on the shrine of Charlemagne in Aachen of 1215.

The twelve figures under arches on the base, probably the Apostles, are clearly of the early thirteenth century, both in the early gothic form of the architecture and the gently modelled draperies of the repeated figures.

The reliquary consists of a wooden core of head and base, carved from sycamore, which was later covered with gold plates.

Gems are embedded in the Saint’s crown. The face gives an impression of severity with its slightly crooked aquiline

nose, its drooping lips and almond-shaped eyes.

Portraits of Nikolaus KratzerHans and The Merchant Georg Gisze, the Younger Holbein

c. 1532, oil on panel

Hans Holbein, portrait of Henry VIIIth, c. 1535, circle of Hans Holbein

Which characteristics of this painting are representative of royal portraits ?

Elizabeth 1st, Sieve portrait, 1583Circle of Quentin Massys the Younger

Sieve Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I (circa 1580-1583)Oil on panel

The Virgin Queen's virtue and power are shown symbolically in this magnificent portrait: Elizabeth is portrayed as Tuccia, a Vestal Virgin who proved her chastity by carrying a sieve full of water from the Tiber to the Temple of Vesta.

She is surrounded by symbols of imperial majesty including a column with an imperial crown at its base and a globe. The globe and decorated column in the background celebrate Elizabeth's imperial aspirations.

Bernard LensKing George Ist, 1718.• « Bernard Lens was the leading

miniaturist from 1710 to 1740. Lens was possibly self-taught. Miniature painting was a popular amateur art at this time and Lens had many aristocratic and royal pupils. Although Lens was the first British miniaturist to work on ivory, he occasionally painted on vellum. He was also involved with the care of miniatures on vellum, restoring and reframing old family miniatures for aristocratic patrons. In addition, he painted copies of historical portraits for collectors.” V&AM

Frontispices of books often feature portraitsJacob

Houbraken, Portrait de Haendel avec scène de Giulio Cesare, engraving, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.Source: — « Haendel: Jules César », L'avant scène opéra (avril 1987), n° 97. Ajouté par Mickaël Bouffard.

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlboroughby Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt

oil on canvas, circa 1706, National Portrait Gallery

This oil sketch shows Queen Anne's great Commander-in-Chief in triumph. On the left is Hercules with his club and a key (possibly a symbol of submission) and a woman offering him a castle.

Under Marlborough's horse's hooves is the dishevelled figure of Discord, while in the clouds sits Justice; below her, Victory crowns the duke with laurel. This is a study for a full-scale allegorical painting which was never completed.

Stylistically the work is heavily influenced by Rubens.

Virginia Woolf, Leonard Sidney Woolfby Vanessa Bell, 1940

Ron Mueck, Mask II, British Museum

• http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/past_exhibitions/2008/statuephilia/videos_-_mueck.aspx