Framed Portraits

Framed Portraits depict the person looking at the artist or looking away, as the painter enjoys a great deal of freedom when portraying his subject. In ancient Greece and Rome, sculptures and paintings focusing on the faces of emperors were widespread, as well as the ones dedicated to rich people. Their popularity endured through the middle ages and some wealthy people even created multiple portraits of themselves, in an attempt of capturing their images during various stages of their lives.

Leonardo da Vinci is famous for his portraits and perhaps the best-known one is the Mona Lisa depicting Lisa del Giocondo. While this one can’t miss from any collection of Framed Portraits, it is just one of the few created by the master, alongside head of a Young Woman with Tousled Hair. Art lovers will be happy to discover a dozen of other famous portraits, painted over the course of centuries, including instantly recognizable ones such as Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring.