Floor plan

The grand stairPortraits in Paint

Portraits in Paint

Painting of bearded, ruddy-faced man in eighteenth century style clothing.
Portrait of Elliot Coues, by J. Edward Barclay, 1898
Artist: Charles Willson Peale, Sitter: Charles Willson Peale, Current owner: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
The image portrays a woman in a profile view, with her head turned towards the left. She has medium-length dark hair styled back, wearing a high-collared garment with ruffled edges. She has a sharp nose, defined cheekbones, and a firm chin. The background is a plain, light-colored canvas, and the artist's signature "A. Legros" and the year "1875" are seen in the upper right corner.
A work made of oil on canvas.
Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
A work made of hanging scroll; ink and color on silk.
This painting shows a man from the waist up. He is facing forward and gazes out at us. He has fair skin, light brown hair, a thin mustache and beard, and light green eyes. His expression is mostly neutral, although his peach lips are slightly turned up at the edges. He is wearing a black garment with a high collar and a hood and a black flat cap on his head. The background is plain blue, fading to black around the edges of the painting.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Faces painted from life, from Renaissance panels to Gilded Age canvases. A portrait was a record, a likeness and often a statement of standing, and the best of them still hold the sitter's attention across a room.

First flight

  1. Painting of bearded, ruddy-faced man in eighteenth century style clothing.
    Portrait of a Man in CostumeJean Honoré Fragonard, c. 1767–68Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Portrait of Elliot Coues, by J. Edward Barclay, 1898
    Portrait of Elliot CouesJ. Edward Barclay, 1898Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  3. Artist: Charles Willson Peale, Sitter: Charles Willson Peale, Current owner: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
    Charles Willson Peale Self-PortraitCharles Willson Peale, c. 1791Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
  4. The image portrays a woman in a profile view, with her head turned towards the left. She has medium-length dark hair styled back, wearing a high-collared garment with ruffled edges. She has a sharp nose, defined cheekbones, and a firm chin. The background is a plain, light-colored canvas, and the artist's signature "A. Legros" and the year "1875" are seen in the upper right corner.
    Portrait of a WomanAlphonse Legros, 1875Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

First landing

  1. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Portrait of a GirlFrancesco Solimena, c. 1700Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
    Portrait of Tieleman RoostermanFrans Hals, 1634Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. A work made of hanging scroll; ink and color on silk.
    Portrait of an OfficialGu Jianlong, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), 17th centuryCourtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. This painting shows a man from the waist up. He is facing forward and gazes out at us. He has fair skin, light brown hair, a thin mustache and beard, and light green eyes. His expression is mostly neutral, although his peach lips are slightly turned up at the edges. He is wearing a black garment with a high collar and a hood and a black flat cap on his head. The background is plain blue, fading to black around the edges of the painting.
    Portrait of a ManCorneille de Lyon, c. 1536/1540Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Second flight

  1. Portrait of the wife of Yizhai, by Ruan Zude, datable to 1561 or 1620
    Portrait of the wife of YizhaiRuan Zude, datable to 1561 or 1620Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Portrait of the artist’s great-granduncle Yizhai at the age of eighty-five, by Ruan Zude, dated 1561 or 1621
    Portrait of the artist’s great-granduncle Yizhai at the age of eighty-fiveRuan Zude, dated 1561 or 1621Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  3. A young woman with a pale, peachy skin is shown from waist up, wearing a shimmering, royal-blue dress in this vertical painting. Her body is angled to our right as she holds a metal object, perhaps a vessel or incense burner, in her hands by her chest. She turns and tilts her head to our left, but then looks back across her body, off to our right with flint-gray eyes. She has a full, oval-shaped face with a straight nose, smooth cheeks, and her pale pink lips are closed. A gray pearl earring hangs from the ear we can see. Her auburn-brown hair is parted down the middle, and loosely pulled back into a braid that brushes her left shoulder, to our right. The blue dress has a square neckline and a fitted bodice. Light glints off the fabric, shading it from royal to sapphire blue. A voluminous white sleeve is rolled back to her right elbow, to our left. That arm and hand nearly span the width of the painting as she holds the vessel, which has a conical top, near the lower right corner of the composition. The background is solid black.
    Portrait of a Young Woman as a Wise VirginSebastiano del Piombo, c. 1510Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  4. Portrait of a monk, possibly Chen Nga Tshultrim Bar, extending a blessing, late 11th–early 12th century
    Portrait of a monk, possibly Chen Nga Tshultrim Bar, extending a blessingUnrecorded Himalayan maker, late 11th–early 12th centuryCourtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second landing

  1. Lineage Portrait of an Abbot, ca. 1350
    Lineage Portrait of an AbbotUnrecorded Himalayan maker, ca. 1350Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Portrait of Dora Wheeler, by William Merritt Chase, 1882–83
    Portrait of Dora WheelerWilliam Merritt Chase, 1882–83Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Portrait of a Young Girl with Rose, by Oliver Tarbell Eddy, ca. 1838
    Portrait of a Young Girl with RoseOliver Tarbell Eddy, ca. 1838Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  4. Portrait of a Woman as Saint Catherine, by Pier Francesco Foschi, c. 1560
    Portrait of a Woman as Saint CatherinePier Francesco Foschi, c. 1560Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art