Fine Art Reproductions, Commissions and Professional Framing
Collection of Portraits from the Napoleonic Wars
This particular customer wanted a collection of portraits from the Napoleonic wars to be hung in his study at home, which had been decorated appropriately to match the time period's interior fashions. Over the years he had built up a collection of antiques from the early 1800s, so this series of paintings was a perfect way to complete the study. Barton Galleries have worked with a number of customers in the past to create a wide range of collections, from modern masterpieces to classical paintings as shown here. We are happy to research and recommend paintings based on the customer's specifications, and work with the reproduction artists to get the exact finish required.
When choosing our reproduction artists, we look carefully at individual skills which will help with each project. Obviously, we chose a portrait specialist for this collection and before commissioning these 8 paintings, we asked for examples of similar work by the artist to send to our customer. This enabled us to show the quality level we were aiming for and gave the customer more confidence in the artist - from the beginning he stated that the authenticity of the paintings was of utmost importance.
Our competitors' reproduction painting was simply not up to standard and the small differences in each piece would have been very noticeable over the collection.
The portrait subjects were chosen by the customer based on their involvement in the Napoleonic wars, so we have;
- Michel Ney - He was known as Le Rougeaud ("red faced" or "ruddy") by his men and nicknamed le Brave des Braves ("the bravest of the brave") by Napoleon.
- John MooreWhen it became clear that Napoleon was planning an invasion of Britain, Moore was put in charge of the defence of the coast from Dover to Dungeness.
- Henry Paget He commanded the cavalry for Sir John Moore's army in Spain; his cavalry showed distinct superiority over their French counterparts
- Thomas Picton He was "respected for his courage and feared for his irascible temperament". The Duke of Wellington called him "a rough foul-mouthed devil as ever lived".
- NapoleonEmperor of the French and one of the greatest commanders in history
- Arthur Wellesley His defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 put him in the top rank of Britain's military heroes.
- Horatio Nelson - He was noted for his inspirational leadership, superb grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics, all of which resulted in a number of decisive naval victories, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars
With each painting we commission, we offer a professional framing service carried out by our team of Fine Art Trade Guild qualified framers. For this particular project, we obviously needed to find frames that would be complimentary to both the paintings and the time period, so we started with our Traditional English Range. These frames are all handmade in England to order, so this allows us to choose the profile, colour, decoration and ageing technique used. Our customer wanted "consistency in style with some variety in specifics" so we chose to use the same range of frames - Chippendale - for all eight paintings, changing small details for each. This could be the width of the profile, the lightness of the antique gold colour or the ageing wash which is added afterwards.
Each oil painting is hand stretched by the framers and we are in constant contact with the customer throughout to show colour and profile samples of each frame.
Once the frames are finished and ready to hang, they are individually packaged up by our dispatch team and each box is made to fit. We send paintings all over the world and have experience in packaging all shapes and sizes. Specialist couriers can be arranged if required but we have our own insurance to cover artwork through the couriers we use regularly.
These paintings were packaged and shipped over to the US and arrived in perfect condition. Our customer was kind enough to send us some photos of the paintings once they were up in his study and they look stunning! He has told us that they have fulfilled his requirements and fit in with his decor perfectly. With our help, he has chosen the perfect portraits and frames for his study and each piece looks authentic with age.
If you are interested in commissioning a collection of paintings or you are looking for some advice on style and framing, please get in touch with us today.
We have years of experience and have a great relationship with the artists that work with us to provide the high quality reproductions we advertise online.
