GRAND MANNER PORTRAITURE
1500-1900
For 400 years, life-size, full-length 'grand manner' portraits were fixtures of stately homes and palaces across Europe. Associated in the 16th century with the great nobles of the Habsburg dynasty, the full-length portrait, imposing in scale and cost, was swiftly embraced by society's upper echelons, from merchants to monarchs. While primarily intended to convey a sitter's exalted status, full lengths were also painterly showpieces, which artists enlivened with complex, artful poses and dazzling depictions of the latest, most luxurious fashions. The magnificent paintings in this room encapsulate the range of grand portraits in the National Gallery's collection, from the Renaissance to the close of the 19th century.
The earliest full lengths, like Moretto da Brescia's Portrait of a Man of 1526-perhaps the first known independent full length painted in Italy often adhered to a sombre, spare formula. In the following century, the Flemish artist Anthony van Dyck's mannered portraits of swaggering aristocrats became the standard to which all others were compared, especially in Britain. It was with Van Dyck's example in mind that Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Lawrence created the masterful full lengths on view here.
This room, known as Central Hall, was designed by architect John Taylor (1833 1912). Construction was completed in 1887, the fiftieth year of Queen Victoria's reign, an anniversary commemorated in the inscription above the triple doorway. Lord Jacob Rothschild, referred to in the inscription above the opposite door, supported a restoration campaign 30 years ago. The recent refurbishment-which includes new flooring, wall coverings and an improved lighting system-has been made possible through the generous support of The Rothschild Foundation.
