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AN EXPERT’S GUIDE TO ENGLISH PORTRAITS… Henry VIII, school of Holbein Ann Davis, by JM Wright 12 TUDOR Henry VIII, school of Holbein This handsome portrait of Henry VIII was painted either shortly before or after his death by afollower of Holbein. ‘Henry’s image is one of the first truly defining images of kingship,’ says Mould. ‘With his richly embellished clothing and stately display of jewels, Henry isthe quintessential monarch.’ Portraits such as these became widespread during the late 16th century, when the owners of Elizabethan country houses, needing to furnish their newly built ‘long galleries’, began to hang portraits of kings and queens and other contemporary celebrities. Names to watch for: Hans Holbein, Guillim Scrotts and Hans Eworth. Prices from £5,000 to £30 million. LATE 17TH CENTURY Ann Davis, by JM Wright This charming portrait by John Michael Wright demonstrates the sharp shift in portrait style which took place during the reign of Charles II. Rather than the stiff, formal poses of the preceding century, here we see amuch more relaxed and naturalistic representation of female beauty. While the sitter’s arms and drapery are reminiscent of classical antiquity, her tumbling hair and revealing décolletage are typical of the rather louche style of the Restoration court. The face itself is painted with vivid clarity. Another growing area of investor interest from this period is portrait miniatures. Remarkable for their intense, jewel-like quality and detailed realism, miniatures were invented in the 16th century and remained popular in marriage negotiations and as keepsakes. Names to watch for: In portraits, Sir Peter Lely, Gerard Soest and Mary Beale; in miniatures, Nicholas Hilliard, Richard Cosway and Samuel Cooper. Prices from £15,000 to £1 million for aportrait; £2,500 to £500,000 for aminiature. 18TH CENTURY The Hon John Tufton, by Sir Joshua Reynolds Joshua Reynolds is undoubtedly one of the greatest names in English portraiture, atowering figure who, with his rival Gainsborough, dominated the 18th century. Reynolds spent several years in Italy studying the style and technique of the old masters to create a‘grand style’, which married classical allusion with the demands of face painting. The first president of the Royal Academy, Reynolds exhibited large portraits treated in ahistorical manner.
FINE ART The Hon John Tufton, by Sir Joshua Reynolds Terry Jones, by Stuart Pearson Wright Lady Diana Cooper, byAmbrose McEvoy BRIJESH PATEL/© PHILIP MOULD LTD During his long life he painted as many as 3,000 portraits, including almost every man and woman of note. Gainsborough, who was perhaps greater at catching alikeness and who allowed his sitters to wear their own fashionable clothes, was equally prolific. Names to look for: Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Thomas Lawrence. Prices from £20,000 to £3 million. EARLY 20TH CENTURY Lady Diana Cooper, by Ambrose McEvoy At the turn of the 20th century, British portrait painting began to react against the restrictive standards and conventions of the Royal Academy and looked to France and the French Impressionists for astyle that concentrated on the effects of light and colour on living objects. Early 20th-century English portraiture is very much agrowth area and prices remain relatively accessible; as Mould points out, you can still pick up an époque-defining image for as little as £10,000. This attractive, impressionistic work by Ambrose McEvoy, acontemporary at the Slade of Augustus John and Walter Sickert, is thought to be of the famed society beauty Lady Diana Cooper. Names to look for: William Orpen, Augustus John, Duncan <strong>Grant</strong>. Prices from £10-50,000. CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITURE Terry Jones, by Stuart Pearson Wright For investors, rather than pleasure purchasers, buying contemporary portraiture is the most problematic area. ‘If you’re dealing with art inthe past, there is an empirical understanding of historical value,’ says Mould. ‘But contemporary art is much more speculative.’ Occasionally, however, he feels he can predict with confidence when an artist will endure. ‘Stuart Pearson Wright is original, incisive in his characterisation, and his painting is intense and arresting,’ he adds. ‘I know technical brilliance, and Ifeel strongly this will last.’ Pearson Wright has painted some of today’s leading figures, including JK Rowling, the Duke of Edinburgh and John Hurt. His work hangs in The National Portrait Gallery. Names to look for: Susannah Fiennes, Brendan Kelly, Lucian Freud. Prices from under £1,500 to more than £1 million.
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