Floor plan

The grand stairPortraits in Paint

Portraits in Paint

Lineage Portrait of an Abbot, ca. 1350
Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
A work made of oil on canvas.
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 portrait shows the upper half of a seated woman with a round face, wrinkles, and dark hair. She wears a bonnet, a brown dress with layers, and a shawl or cloak. The background is a muted dark brown.
Painted dark colored portrait of man, hands in prayer.
Portrait of a monk, possibly Chen Nga Tshultrim Bar, extending a blessing, late 11th–early 12th century
Portrait of Young Man

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. 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 Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
    Portrait of Tieleman RoostermanFrans Hals, 1634Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Portrait of a GirlFrancesco Solimena, c. 1700Courtesy 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

First landing

  1. The portrait shows the upper half of a seated woman with a round face, wrinkles, and dark hair. She wears a bonnet, a brown dress with layers, and a shawl or cloak. The background is a muted dark brown.
    Portrait of a LadyUnrecorded maker, probably c. 1820Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Painted dark colored portrait of man, hands in prayer.
    Portrait of Jean Gros (recto); Coat of Arms of Jean Gros (verso)Rogier van der Weyden, 1460–64Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. 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
  4. Portrait of Young Man
    Portrait of Young ManUnrecorded makerCourtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Second flight

  1. 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
  2. Portrait of Colonel Charles Heathcote, by Joseph Wright of Derby, c. 1771–72
    Portrait of Colonel Charles HeathcoteJoseph Wright of Derby, c. 1771–72Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. Portrait of Elliot Coues, by J. Edward Barclay, 1898
    Portrait of Elliot CouesJ. Edward Barclay, 1898Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
  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

Second landing

  1. 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
  2. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Portrait of Constance PipeletJean Baptiste François Désoria, 1797Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  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 Dora Wheeler, by William Merritt Chase, 1882–83
    Portrait of Dora WheelerWilliam Merritt Chase, 1882–83Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art