Burgundy wall art: 12 paintings in wine and oxblood

Velázquez’s little prince, Landseer’s spaniels, Böcklin at dusk and a Dutch table laid with wine: twelve paintings in wine, oxblood and claret.

Burgundy is red after dark: deeper, quieter and more grown up. It is the colour of claret, old leather and velvet curtains, and it makes any room feel warm and settled. In paintings it is the colour of rich clothes, shadowed rooms and candlelit tables.

Here are twelve paintings in burgundy and wine, in three groups: wine and oxblood portraits, burgundy velvet, and dark red at dusk.

Wine and oxblood portraits

Deep reds in faces, silks and shadows.

1. Portrait of a Woman

A woman in a wine red silk bodice and pearls turns to meet our gaze.

Giovanni Battista Gaulli, Portrait of a Woman, ca. 1670s. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Giovanni Battista Gaulli, who painted the great ceiling of the Gesù in Rome, made this portrait in the 1670s.

Claret, pearl and deep olive.

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2. Portrait of a Woman

A woman in a dark dress with a white lace collar, against an earthy ground.

Jean-Baptiste Isabey, Portrait of a Woman, 1835, retouched by the artist in 1843. Watercolor on vellum. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Jean-Baptiste Isabey, miniaturist to Napoleon’s court, painted this portrait on vellum in 1835 and retouched it in 1843.

Oxblood, black and lace white.

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3. Portrait of Charlotte and Sarah Carteret-Hardy

Two young sisters sit close together in soft light.

Thomas Lawrence, Portrait of Charlotte and Sarah Carteret-Hardy, 1801. Oil on canvas. Cleveland Museum of Art.

Sir Thomas Lawrence painted Charlotte and Sarah Carteret-Hardy in 1801.

Wine, ivory and moss.

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4. Edward Fiennes de Clinton, 1512-85, 1st Earl of Lincoln

The Earl of Lincoln in a dark doublet and white ruff, holding his staff of office.

Edward Fiennes de Clinton, 1512-85, 1st Earl of Lincoln, 1575.

This portrait of 1575 shows Elizabeth I’s Lord High Admiral, Edward Fiennes de Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln.

Oxblood, black and parchment.

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Burgundy velvet

Rich, velvety reds for libraries and bedrooms.

5. Prince Felipe Próspero

The little prince Felipe Próspero in white and crimson, his hand on a red chair where a small dog sits.

Diego Velázquez, Prince Felipe Próspero, 1659. Oil on canvas. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

Diego Velázquez painted the two year old heir to the Spanish throne in 1659, one of his last portraits.

Crimson velvet, black and white.

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Create your portrait in this style

6. King Charles Spaniels (The Cavalier's Pets)

Two King Charles spaniels rest on a crimson draped table beside a plumed hat.

Edwin Landseer, King Charles Spaniels (The Cavalier's Pets), 1845. Oil on canvas. Tate, London.

Sir Edwin Landseer painted these spaniels in 1845 with the hat and spurs of an imagined cavalier owner.

Burgundy cloth and chestnut: perfect in a study.

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Create your portrait in this style

7. Lady at Her Toilette

A Venetian lady is attended at her dressing table.

Pietro Longhi, Lady at Her Toilette, Late 1740s. Oil on canvas. Art Institute of Chicago.

Pietro Longhi painted small scenes of Venetian daily life in the 1740s, arranged like a gentle stage play.

Rust red, olive and cream.

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8. George Washington

George Washington in a dark coat, painted with quiet authority.

Edward Savage, George Washington, 1793. Oil on mahogany panel. Art Institute of Chicago.

Edward Savage painted this portrait of the first American president in 1793, on a mahogany panel.

Mahogany red and black.

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Dark red at dusk

Moody burgundy for dining rooms and evening rooms.

9. The Homecoming

A figure in a deep red tunic sits by a pool at dusk, near a cottage with one lit window.

Arnold Böcklin, The Homecoming, 1887.

Arnold Böcklin painted this quiet, haunting homecoming in 1887.

Oxblood, slate and lamplight.

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10. Orpheus at the Tomb of Eurydice

Orpheus grieves at Eurydice’s tomb under a moonlit sky, among dark red trees.

Gustave Moreau, Orpheus at the Tomb of Eurydice, ca 1891.

Gustave Moreau painted this sorrowful Orpheus around 1891, after the death of his beloved companion Alexandrine Dureux.

Wine, cobalt and moonlight.

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11. Saint Matthew and the Angel

Saint Matthew pauses at his writing as an angel appears from the shadows.

Giovanni Gerolamo Savoldo, Saint Matthew and the Angel. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo of Brescia was famous for scenes lit by a single lamp or candle, like this one.

Claret, plum and candle black.

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12. Still Life with Lobster and Fruit

A red lobster on a pewter platter among fruit, silver and a glass of wine.

Abraham van Beyeren, Still Life with Lobster and Fruit, probably early 1650s. Oil on wood. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Abraham van Beyeren painted this lavish table in the early 1650s, at the height of the Dutch banquet still life.

Wine, lobster red and old gold for a dining room.

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Burgundy suits libraries, dining rooms and bedrooms that want to feel enveloping. Pair it with cream, camel, forest green, navy, blush or brass, and with dark wood or gold frames. For more, see red wall art, moody wall art and dark academia decor.

Questions

What colours go with burgundy?

Cream, camel, blush, forest green, navy, mustard and brass.

Is burgundy art good for a dining room?

Yes. It is one of the classic dining room colours: warm, rich and lovely by candlelight.

What frame goes with burgundy art?

Gold, brass and dark walnut frames suit its depth.

Is burgundy the same as maroon?

They are close. Burgundy leans toward purple wine, maroon toward brown red.