No. Not for an oil painting, anyway. The price is about US$ 350, plus postage and handling for a 50 x 70 cm ( 20 x 27 inches) portrait. Some units, such as hussars, cuirassiers and highlanders, cost a bit more (just because armour and tartan are more laborious).

You can also have your painting framed here in Italy. I normally don’t advise it unless you can’t find the right frame where you live. The frames are hand made in Italy so they’re quite expensive (I still haven’t contacted one of those craftsmen in Thailand who make very nice frames, dirt cheap). In fact, I make no money on them. It’s just an extra service I offer.

Does it take forever?

No. It takes me about 60 days to complete a painting from sketch to finish. The time obviously is very much due to the time it takes oil to dry: I don’t use products that make the colour dry faster, giving it that glossy look. The nice thing about all this Web stuff, is that you can check up on the progress as I work. I always start with the face, so you can tell me if you think the guy in the picture looks like someone else (I know this is dangerous: some people out there are really obsessive).
 

Getting your portrait painted

All I need is a photo (in pose) that you can send me by e-mail. To that you can add a close up of your face and obviously more precise information on the unit that your uniform is supposed to represent. I will ask for bibliographic reference or related iconography, too, such as an Osprey Men at arms book, etc. If I can’t find a crest or a particular sabre hilt, for instance, I will ask you for more information. Obviously, you don’t even need to be in a uniform. It’s one of the miracles of oil portraits: you can send me a picture of you in  your civvies and I’ll turn you into an officer of the Gordon Highlanders. In that case, you must specify unit, period, and rank.

You don’t need to send a deposit. As I said, the first thing I paint is the face, so when that is well under way, I will send you an HTML image and ask for an approval. Only then will I request 50% of the total value of the finished painting (frame, if any, and postage are obviously excluded). It takes from 50 to 60 days to finish (compatibly with the waiting list, of course).

Ageing

The paintings can be aged with a special varnish that cracks, giving them that “museum look”. That can be done on request and at no extra cost.

Prices

Portraits:
- 50 x 70 cm ( 20 x 27  inches) portrait on limbo background   US$ 350
- larger formats        P.O.R.
- Hussars         add US$ 60
- Cuirassiers (and armour in general)      add US$ 40
- Tartan: “little” kilt (fileadh beag) and plaid    add US$ 30
- Tartan : 17th and 18th century “big” kilt (fileadh mhor)   add US$ 50

Frame:
- hand made in Italy, gilt wood      US$ 140

Contact me

You can send me e-mail

or send me snail mail at:

Erwin Flores
Largo Alfredo Oriani, 10
00152 – Rome
Italy

You can also call me at +39-6581-0318 (Italy is GMT + 1 hour).

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