Portrait of Sir William Rothenstein

The 100 Most Famous Sir William Rothenstein Paintings, Each One of a Kind

Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 131 works by Sir William Rothenstein in our catalogue

In short

Le Dent Du Midi From Leysin, Switzerland is the Sir William Rothenstein painting that draws the most eyes. After it, the eye goes to Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir and Jan Toorop (1894). Among the 131 works of Sir William Rothenstein in our catalog, these 100 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.

1872 – 1945, Bradford Impressionism Most works: Museum of Fine Arts
Le Dent Du Midi From Leysin, Switzerland by Sir William Rothenstein1. Le Dent Du Midi From Leysin, Switzerland Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir by Sir William Rothenstein2. Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir Jan Toorop (1894) by Sir William Rothenstein3. Jan Toorop 1894

Top 10 paintings by Sir William Rothenstein, through the gallery's eye

1
Le Dent Du Midi From Leysin, Switzerland by Sir William Rothenstein

Le Dent Du Midi From Leysin, Switzerland

Oil On Canvas

The mountain peaks of Switzerland rise to meet the eye in Le Dent Du Midi From Leysin, Switzerland. This landscape emerges from the brush of Sir William Rothenstein, a painter who captured the essence of the natural world through a lens of profound observation. The work dates to about 1930, a period when the artist's hand moved with a specific, seasoned intent. Every stroke carries the weight of a man…

The story behind this original
2
Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir by Sir William Rothenstein

Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir

Oil On Canvas

The artwork titled Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir is a painting by the artist Sir William Rothenstein. This work depicts Sir Thomas Roe during his time at the court of Ajmir. The scene focuses on the presence of Sir Thomas Roe within this specific setting. The composition centers on the figure of the diplomat amidst the gathered assembly of the court.

The story behind this original
3
Jan Toorop (1894) by Sir William Rothenstein

Jan Toorop

1894 · Oil On Canvas

This portrait of Jan Toorop was painted by Sir William Rothenstein in 1894. The subject is a man shown from the upper body upward, dressed in a dark suit. The figure occupies a central position within the frame, set against a background that remains indistinct and blurred. This lack of detail in the rear space focuses the viewer's attention on the physical presence of the man.

The story behind this original
8
Portrait of Harold Jones (1928) by Sir William Rothenstein

Portrait of Harold Jones

1928 · Black and White Photography · National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa

This monochromatic historical photograph, dating from 1928, presents a detailed study of an ornate, sculptural object. The subject, which appears to be a ceremonial or decorative figure possibly representing a stylized animal or spirit, is mounted upon a wooden post. The composition is centered, with the object extending diagonally from the upper left toward the lower right.

The story behind this original

Sir William Rothenstein's famous paintings, numbers 11 to 100

11Robert Baldwin Ross by Sir William RothensteinRobert Baldwin Ross 12St Martin's Summer by Sir William RothensteinSt Martin's Summer 13Interior (also known as Lady with a Hat) (1891) by Sir William RothensteinInterior (also known as Lady with a Hat)1891 · Sheffield City Art Galleries 14Miss Edith Lockyer Williams (1893) by Sir William RothensteinMiss Edith Lockyer Williams1893 15The Doll's House (1900) by Sir William RothensteinThe Doll's House1900 16Untitled by Sir William RothensteinUntitled 17Max Beerbohm by Sir William RothensteinMax Beerbohm 18War Cartoon - by Sir William RothensteinWar Cartoon - 19Eli The Thatcher by Sir William RothensteinEli The Thatcher 20The Butcher's Shop Under The Trees by Sir William RothensteinThe Butcher's Shop Under The Trees 21James Stephens by Sir William RothensteinJames Stephens 22Le Grand-i-vert by Sir William RothensteinLe Grand-i-vert 23Sir Francis Darwin by Sir William RothensteinSir Francis Darwin 24Sir Arthur Hutchison by Sir William RothensteinSir Arthur Hutchison 25Self Portrait - by Sir William RothensteinSelf Portrait - 26Sir frederick pollock by Sir William RothensteinSir frederick pollock 27The Church Of St Seine L'abbaye by Sir William RothensteinThe Church Of St Seine L'abbaye 28A Corner Of The Talmud School by Sir William RothensteinA Corner Of The Talmud School 29Evening In Benares, India by Sir William RothensteinEvening In Benares, India 30The Princess Badroulbadour by Sir William RothensteinThe Princess Badroulbadour 31Spring, The Morning Room by Sir William RothensteinSpring, The Morning Room 32Coster Girls by Sir William RothensteinCoster Girls 33Flower, Fruit And Thorn Piece by Sir William RothensteinFlower, Fruit And Thorn Piece 34Alice By The Fireside by Sir William RothensteinAlice By The Fireside 35Edward Gordon Craig as Hamlet (1896) by Sir William RothensteinEdward Gordon Craig as Hamlet1896 36Frank Harris (1895) by Sir William RothensteinFrank Harris1895 37Wych Elm In Winter by Sir William RothensteinWych Elm In Winter 38Ceremony by Sir William RothensteinCeremony 39Miss Edith Lockyer Williams by Sir William RothensteinMiss Edith Lockyer Williams 40Augustus John by Sir William RothensteinAugustus John 41Lord Cullen Of Ashbourne by Sir William RothensteinLord Cullen Of Ashbourne 42The Doll's House by Sir William RothensteinThe Doll's House 43The Cloth Hall, Ypres by Sir William RothensteinThe Cloth Hall, Ypres 44The Watch On The Rhine by Sir William RothensteinThe Watch On The Rhine 45Oakridge Farm, Late Summer by Sir William RothensteinOakridge Farm, Late Summer 46On The Way To Everest by Sir William RothensteinOn The Way To Everest 47Miss Grant by Sir William RothensteinMiss Grant 48Claude Montefiore by Sir William RothensteinClaude Montefiore 49The Trellis by Sir William RothensteinThe Trellis 50Woman Standing In Doorway by Sir William RothensteinWoman Standing In Doorway 51Sir Ernest Debenham by Sir William RothensteinSir Ernest Debenham 52War Cartoon by Sir William RothensteinWar Cartoon 53Avenue At Bourlon, Western Front by Sir William RothensteinAvenue At Bourlon, Western Front 54Portrait Of Sir John Rothenstein, Cbe by Sir William RothensteinPortrait Of Sir John Rothenstein, Cbe 55Arthur Beresford Pite by Sir William RothensteinArthur Beresford Pite 56The Old Priest by Sir William RothensteinThe Old Priest 57Night - by Sir William RothensteinNight - 58Ypres Salient by Sir William RothensteinYpres Salient 59Tree In Winter by Sir William RothensteinTree In Winter 60Night by Sir William RothensteinNight 61Oakridge Farm, Late Summer - by Sir William RothensteinOakridge Farm, Late Summer - 62Iles' Farm, Winter by Sir William RothensteinIles' Farm, Winter 63A Woman Seated In An Interior by Sir William RothensteinA Woman Seated In An Interior 64Iles Farm, Far Oakridge, Gloucestershire by Sir William RothensteinIles Farm, Far Oakridge, Gloucestershire 65In The Morning Room by Sir William RothensteinIn The Morning Room 66Ignacio Zuloaga As A Torero by Sir William RothensteinIgnacio Zuloaga As A Torero 67Portrait Of Sir David Low, Half-length by Sir William RothensteinPortrait Of Sir David Low, Half-length 68Alfred Chaston Chapman by Sir William RothensteinAlfred Chaston Chapman 69The Church At Bourlon by Sir William RothensteinThe Church At Bourlon 70Self Portrait - by Sir William RothensteinSelf Portrait - 71Mother And Child by Sir William RothensteinMother And Child 72The Old Gardener by Sir William RothensteinThe Old Gardener 73At The Window by Sir William RothensteinAt The Window 74The Beech Wood by Sir William RothensteinThe Beech Wood 75The Right Honourable Sir Austin Chamberlain, Kg, Pc, Mp by Sir William RothensteinThe Right Honourable Sir Austin Chamberlain, Kg, Pc, Mp 76The Right Honourable Brien Ibrican by Sir William RothensteinThe Right Honourable Brien Ibrican 77Avenue Of The Chateau, Bourlon, Western Front by Sir William RothensteinAvenue Of The Chateau, Bourlon, Western Front 78Self Portrait - by Sir William RothensteinSelf Portrait - 79Portrait of sir francis darwin by Sir William RothensteinPortrait of sir francis darwin 80George Edward Baker by Sir William RothensteinGeorge Edward Baker 81Two Women by Sir William RothensteinTwo Women 82Henry Hudson by Sir William RothensteinHenry Hudson 83Carrying The Law by Sir William RothensteinCarrying The Law 84Sir Thomas Roe's Embassy To The Court Of Jehangir by Sir William RothensteinSir Thomas Roe's Embassy To The Court Of Jehangir 85Head Study Of The Poet, Edmund Blunden by Sir William RothensteinHead Study Of The Poet, Edmund Blunden 86Barn At Far Oakridge, Gloucestershire by Sir William RothensteinBarn At Far Oakridge, Gloucestershire 87The Storm by Sir William RothensteinThe Storm 88The Honourable Alice Caroline Helen Buchan by Sir William RothensteinThe Honourable Alice Caroline Helen Buchan 89Sir Arthur Dixon by Sir William RothensteinSir Arthur Dixon 90Michael Rossetti by Sir William RothensteinMichael Rossetti 91Self Portrait - Principal by Sir William RothensteinSelf Portrait - Principal 92Self Portrait - by Sir William RothensteinSelf Portrait - 93Princess Betty by Sir William RothensteinPrincess Betty 94George Bernard Shaw by Sir William RothensteinGeorge Bernard Shaw 95Moritz Rothenstein by Sir William RothensteinMoritz Rothenstein 96Frederick James Furnivall by Sir William RothensteinFrederick James Furnivall 97Reading The Book Of Esther by Sir William RothensteinReading The Book Of Esther 98Rachael And Betty by Sir William RothensteinRachael And Betty 99Mother And Child, Candlelight by Sir William RothensteinMother And Child, Candlelight 100Jews Mourning In A Synagogue by Sir William RothensteinJews Mourning In A Synagogue

The subjects that held Sir William Rothenstein's eye

The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.

Portrait 8 works

Jan Toorop (1894), Sir William Rothenstein #3 Jan Toorop 1894 Eli The Thatcher, Sir William Rothenstein #19 Eli The Thatcher James Stephens, Sir William Rothenstein #21 James Stephens Sir Francis Darwin, Sir William Rothenstein #23 Sir Francis Darwin

Buildings 7 works

Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir, Sir William Rothenstein #2 Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir The Doll's House, Sir William Rothenstein #42 The Doll's House Oakridge Farm, Late Summer -, Sir William Rothenstein #61 Oakridge Farm, Late Summer - Iles Farm, Far Oakridge, Gloucestershire, Sir William Rothenstein #64 Iles Farm, Far Oakridge, Gloucestershire

Portraiture 7 works

Talmudic Discussion (1905), Sir William Rothenstein #5 Talmudic Discussion 1905 · Ben Uri Gallery and Museum War Cartoon -, Sir William Rothenstein #18 War Cartoon - Sir Arthur Hutchison, Sir William Rothenstein #24 Sir Arthur Hutchison Self Portrait -, Sir William Rothenstein #25 Self Portrait -

Portraits 7 works

Portrait Of Sir John Rothenstein, Cbe, Sir William Rothenstein #54 Portrait Of Sir John Rothenstein, Cbe Portrait Of Sir David Low, Half-length, Sir William Rothenstein #67 Portrait Of Sir David Low, Half-length Self Portrait -, Sir William Rothenstein #70 Self Portrait - Self Portrait -, Sir William Rothenstein #78 Self Portrait -

The museums that keep Sir William Rothenstein's originals

The 6 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.

Museum City Works by Sir William Rothenstein Paintings from this list
Museum of Fine Arts, BostonMuseum of Fine Arts Boston 1 Exposition of the Talmud
Ben Uri Gallery and Museum, LondonBen Uri Gallery and Museum London 1 Talmudic Discussion
Canadian War Museum, OttawaCanadian War Museum Ottawa 1 The Watch on the Rhine (The Last Phase)
Charlecote Park, WarwickshireCharlecote Park Warwickshire 1 The Hon. Alice Caroline Helen Buchan, Lady Ramsay-Fairfax-Lucy (1908 -1993)
National Gallery of Canada, OttawaNational Gallery of Canada Ottawa 1 Portrait of Harold Jones
Sheffield City Art Galleries, SheffieldSheffield City Art Galleries Sheffield 1 Interior (also known as Lady with a Hat)

Sir William Rothenstein across the decades: one unique original for each

Works per decade

Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.

Sir William Rothenstein's paintings: questions for the gallery

What is the single most famous work of Sir William Rothenstein?Reveal the answer

Le Dent Du Midi From Leysin, Switzerland. Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir and Jan Toorop (1894) come next.

Which ten paintings by Sir William Rothenstein are the most famous?Reveal the answer

Le Dent Du Midi From Leysin, Switzerland, Sir Thomas Roe At The Court Of Ajmir, Jan Toorop, Exposition of the Talmud, Talmudic Discussion, The Watch on the Rhine (The Last Phase), The Hon. Alice Caroline Helen Buchan, Lady Ramsay-Fairfax-Lucy (1908 -1993), Portrait of Harold Jones, Barnett Freedman and The White Cliffs, Vaucottes. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.

How many works by Sir William Rothenstein are known?Reveal the answer

Our catalog holds 131 works by Sir William Rothenstein, dated from 1891 to 1932.

Where can the most famous Sir William Rothenstein originals be seen?Reveal the answer

Mostly in Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), Ben Uri Gallery and Museum (London) and Canadian War Museum (Ottawa). The museum table above lists them all.

During which period did Sir William Rothenstein create the best-known paintings?Reveal the answer

In 1890s: 5 of the 100 works on this page were made then, Jan Toorop among them.

Which famous Sir William Rothenstein painting is the earliest, and which the latest?Reveal the answer

On this page, the earliest is Interior (also known as Lady with a Hat) (1891) and the latest The Hon. Alice Caroline Helen Buchan, Lady Ramsay-Fairfax-Lucy (1908 -1993) (1932).

What subjects did Sir William Rothenstein favour?Reveal the answer

Portrait (8), Buildings (7) and Portraiture (7), across the 100 works on this page.

What materials did Sir William Rothenstein paint with most?Reveal the answer

Oil On Canvas, for 3 of the 100 works on this page.

Which movement does the work of Sir William Rothenstein belong to?Reveal the answer

Impressionism and Contemporary realism, judging by the originals on this page.

Sir William Rothenstein: a portrait of the artist

Early Life and Background

  • Born: Bradford, United Kingdom (January 29, 1872)
  • Died: February 14, 1945
  • Rothenstein was born into a German-Jewish family. His father emigrated from Germany to work in the textile industry in Bradford.
  • Education: He attended Bradford Grammar School before pursuing art training at the Slade School of Art in London (1888-1893).
  • Significant time spent in Paris studying at the Académie Julian, where he was influenced by artists like James McNeill Whistler, Edgar Degas, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Artistic Development and Key Works

  • Early career focused on portraiture, producing collections such as "Oxford Characters" (1896), “English Portraits,” “Twelve Portraits,” and “Contemporaries.”
  • Carfax Gallery: Co-founded the Carfax Gallery in 1898 with John Fothergill, showcasing modern art and artists like Auguste Rodin.
  • War Artist: Served as an official war artist during both World Wars (WWI and WWII), documenting significant figures and events through portraiture. These works are now part of the National Portrait Gallery collection.
  • Principal of Royal College of Art: Held the position of Principal at the Royal College of Art from 1920 to 1935, nurturing emerging talent like Jacob Epstein, U Ba Nyan, Henry Moore, and Paul Nash.
  • Indian Influences: A pivotal journey to India in 1910 profoundly impacted his artistic vision after observing Lady Christiana Herringham and Nandalal Bose copying ancient frescoes at the Ajanta caves and witnessing Abanindranath Tagore’s efforts to revive traditional Indian painting techniques.

Style, Influences, and Artistic Evolution

  • Rothenstein's style evolved from initial Impressionistic influences towards Expressionism.
  • His portraits are characterized by psychological depth and an ability to capture the essence of his subjects.
  • Influenced by artists like Whistler and Degas in Paris, shaping his approach to composition and technique.
  • The influence of Indian art is evident in his later works, demonstrating a sensitivity to color and form inspired by Eastern aesthetics.

Legacy and Recognition

  • Family Legacy: His son, John Rothenstein, was a renowned art historian and Director of the Tate Gallery. Michael Rothenstein, his other son, was a respected printmaker.
  • Memoirs: Rothenstein's memoirs provide valuable insights into his life, artistic philosophy, and wartime experiences.
  • Honors: Knighted in 1931 for services to art.
  • His works are held in major collections worldwide, including the Tate Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.

Historical Significance

  • Rothenstein played a crucial role in promoting modern art in Britain through his involvement with the Carfax Gallery.
  • As an official war artist, he documented significant historical events and figures during both World Wars, providing valuable visual records of these periods.
  • His tenure as Principal at the Royal College of Art helped shape the institution and nurture generations of talented artists.
  • His exploration of Indian art and aesthetics contributed to a broader understanding of cross-cultural artistic influences in British art.
All 131 works by Sir William Rothenstein →