We are delighted to showcase a selection of artworks rotated quarterly on our website. As part of this summer rotation, you have the opportunity to explore our entire portrait collection in one place, and these captivating paintings will be on view until the end of July.

In addition, to celebrate International Portrait Day on the 23rd of June, The Klesch Collection’s Spotlight feature will display one of our treasured portraits for the first time. Don’t miss it!

READ LESS

Lauded by the contemporary biographer Carlo Cesare Malvasia (1616–1693) as ‘the wonder of art, the glory of her sex, the gem of Italy, the sun of Europe’, Sirani was one of the most celebrated artists in her lifetime. She lived and worked in Bologna, a city renowned for its progressive atmosphere in which women artists thrived. This painting of the Madonna and Child is a stunning example of Sirani’s specialty subject, in which she demonstrates endless invention, capturing a private and tender moment between mother and child. By positioning the figures close to the picture plane and the viewer, Sirani invites us into the divine space, allowing us to participate in the intimate wordless dialogue between them. With attention to delicate nuances in gestures, rich use of colours and confident brushwork, Sirani truly brings this sacred scene to life. Taking pride in her work and her own accomplishments, Sirani regularly signed her works. Here, ‘ELISA^A.SIRANI 1664’ is prominently embroidered on the Madonna’s neckline.

Elisabetta Sirani (Bologna 1638 – 1665)
Madonna and Child (Madonna of the Rose)
oil on canvas
Signed and dated: “ELISA^A.SIRANI 1664” (along the Madonna’s neckline)
83 x 66 cm (32 1/2 x 26 in.)
1664

READ LESS

This mesmerizing portrait has not been seen in public nor studied for 25 years. With masterful skill, renowned Caravaggio expert Gianni Papi marks the end of this hiatus and restores the painting to its rightful place among Caravaggio’s most special portraits. Papi opens an intriguing new line of research into Caravaggio’s portraiture, and into his relationship with his sitters. Through the exploration of Caravaggio’s tempestuous last year in Rome, Papi makes a compelling case for the identity of the sitter, offering a glimpse into the artist’s life during this turbulent time.

Caravaggio’s ‘Portrait of a man with a ruff’  is a dual-language publication in English/Italian and is available for purchase in both hard cover and ebook.

READ LESS

A rare discovery, this painting is as delicate as it is powerful. Originally intended for private devotion, Metsys’ execution is exquisitely detailed, depicting a figure of Christ that inspires quiet introspection. Metsys’ innovation and brilliance are evident in the naturalistic rendering of Christ’s proper left palm and thumb, illuminated from below by a golden hue (perhaps by the light of a candle placed in front of the painting), bringing this divine figure closer to the beholder’s space. The intricate details on the paint surface are miraculously well-preserved, including the fine ‘beaded’ strokes that form each one of the eyelashes.

Until its rediscovery in 2006, the painting hung quietly and unrecognised on a side wall in the Holy Trinity Church in Bradford-on-Avon. It soon achieved universal acceptance as the primary version of one of Metsys’ most repeated compositions. A key piece in Metsys’ oeuvre, and in the history of painting in Antwerp, its importance cannot be understated.

Quinten Metsys
(Leuven 1466–1530 Antwerp)
Christ Blessing
oil and mordant gilding on panel
37.6 x 30.4 cm. (13 3/4 x 12 in.)
c. 1491-1505

READ LESS