Let’s welcome: two national museums   ̶ the National Portrait Gallery and National Museum Wales; rich and diverse collections from Britain’s oldest public museum, The Ashmolean; and half of the City of Westminster’s collections, including the Royal Academy of Arts.

All of the oil paintings in public ownership across Cumbria, Lancashire, Glasgow, the Isle of Man and Plymouth and Torbay are now on display.

Plus, the paintings from another 46 National Trust properties have also been added.

Naturally, within such a group many gems can be found. There are masterpieces of Impressionism including Renoir’s La Parisienne which featured in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874. The sitter was Henriette Henriot, who performed at the Theatre de L’Odeon in Paris.

La Parisienne (Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Collection: National Museum of Wales)

 

From the Italian Renaissance is Piero di Cosimo’s The Forest Fire. It was inspired by passages from the Bible. The masterly rendition of the fire and distant landscape placed di Cosimo at the forefront of contemporary landscape painting.

The Forest Fire (Piero di Cosimo, Collection: The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology)

The first portrait to be acquired by the National Portrait Gallery was of William Shakespeare, and was attributed to John Taylor. This is the only portrait of Shakespeare that has any claim to have been painted from life, and so perhaps bears the greatest likeness to the Bard.

William Shakespeare (John Taylor, Collection: National Portrait Gallery, London)

Further north, meanwhile, a local story lies behind John Virtue’s Accrington from the Coppice, where he worked as a postman, and painted during his free time.

Have you unearthed a painting you haven’t seen for years, or discovered a new favourite perhaps? Please tell us about your findings by following us on Twitter @Your_Paintings !

Katie Carder is the Press and Marketing Officer at the PCF

Make the most of the 125,000 paintings on the site with the new My Paintings collection tool. Use My Paintings to bookmark, curate and comment on your favourite paintings.

Once you’ve registered for a BBC iD you can search the Your Paintings site for an image you like, and click the ‘Add to my collection’ link. Have a go - building your own personal collection is great fun and it’s hugely satisfying to see all your favourite images on one page. It's really easy, and when I visit my account I’m very pleasantly reminded of forgotten gems including the Veronica Burleigh below.

Self Potrait with the Artist's Parents

(Veronica Burleigh, Collection: Brighton and Hove Museums and Art Galleries)

Naturally you can share your collection with friends via Twitter and Facebook.  

And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @Your_Paintings and tell us what you think! 

Katie Carder is the Marketing and PR Assistant at the PCF. 

The National Library of Wales has an eclectic collection of 2,000 paintings with works by Kyffin Williams and Turner, and this portrait of inspiring Welsh sportsman Joe Calzaghe.

Joe Calzaghe (b.1972)

(David Griffiths, Collection: Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru / The National Library of Wales)

Moving further north to Scotland, there are now 15,000 paintings from over 60 collections available for the public to enjoy, with additions from The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum and University of St Andrews to Fife Council and The Black Watch Castle & Museum. Celebrated artists include John Opie, Samuel John Peploe and Pieter Brueghel the Younger.

After successfully overcoming the logistical challenges of photographing its painting collection, the Channel Islands have joined the site. Elizabeth Castle in Jersey was reached by amphibious vehicle, whilst collections such as Mignot Memorial Hospital in Alderney were accessed using light aircraft! Edward John Poynter’s rich portrait of Lillie Langtry is one example that offers an insight into the history and artistic legacy of the islands.

Cradle Rock and Pea Stacks

(William John Caparne, Collection: Guernsey Museums and Galleries)

National Museums Northern Ireland features world-class Irish, British and international art. Included in the 1,600 works is a fantastic selection of paintings by John Lavery and Francis Bacon, along with Edward McGuire’s portrait of Seamus Heaney.

Finally, the PCF is getting closer to cataloguing Greater London’s vast art collection with the recent additions of North and East London. The boroughs of Barnet, Tottenham, Enfield, Hackney, Redbridge, Harringey and Islington are all included with works from painters as diverse as Courbet, De Chirico, Sickert and William Holman Hunt.

Please do follow us on Twitter @Your_Paintings and tell us what you think!