Mantel decor ideas: 12 paintings for above the fireplace
A Brueghel farm, a Stubbs spaniel, a Ruysch bouquet and a Manet portrait: twelve paintings that hold the most important wall in the room, with how to hang them.
The wall above a fireplace is the most important wall in most living rooms. Everything points to it, and whatever hangs there sets the tone for the whole room. The simplest and most elegant mantel is built around one good picture, with a few objects on either side to frame it.
Here are twelve pictures that have held that place for centuries, in three moods: wide landscapes, dogs by the fire, and flowers and portraits. Each is shown with its colour palette, and each can be ordered as a print.
Wide views for a long mantel
Landscapes that stretch across the wall like a window.
1. A Farm
Jan Brueghel the Elder and Joos de Momper, A Farm, c. 1620. Oil on panel.
Jan Brueghel the Elder and Joos de Momper often painted together, Momper the landscape and Brueghel the figures. This farm of about 1620 is full of tiny lives: ploughmen, carts, herders and horses.
A rich, detailed landscape for a classic living room with green, stone or wood tones.
2. The Royal Palace, Stockholm
Martinus Rørbye, The Royal Palace, Stockholm, 1848. Oil on canvas.
The Danish painter Martinus Rørbye painted Stockholm’s Royal Palace in 1848. A wide sky and calm water give the view a quiet Nordic grandeur.
Its pale sky blues and stone tones suit a light, Scandinavian living room.
Create your portrait in this style
3. The Bridge. From A Home
Carl Larsson, The Bridge. From A Home, 1899. Watercolour. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.
Carl Larsson painted the bridge near his home at Sundborn for A Home, his book of watercolours from 1899. Red farmhouses, rushing water and a curious pig give it its charm.
A cheerful country picture for a cottage or farmhouse fireplace.
Dogs by the fire
The sporting dog is the classic picture above an English fireplace.
4. A Clumber Spaniel
George Stubbs, A Clumber Spaniel, 1784. Oil on canvas. Usher Gallery, Lincoln.
George Stubbs, the greatest animal painter of eighteenth century England, painted this Clumber spaniel in 1784. Every feathered hair of its coat catches the light against the dark oak.
A timeless choice for a traditional living room or a study.
Create your portrait in this style
5. A Greyhound In An Extensive Landscape
Alfred de Dreux, A Greyhound In An Extensive Landscape, c. 1850. Oil on canvas.
Alfred de Dreux painted the horses and dogs of the French aristocracy. In this canvas of about 1850 a white greyhound shines against a dark grove.
An elegant picture for a formal room with dark green or deep blue walls.
Create your portrait in this style
6. Queen Victoria's Spaniel Tilco
Edwin Landseer, Queen Victoria's Spaniel Tilco, 1838. Oil on canvas. National Trust.
Edwin Landseer was Queen Victoria’s favourite painter of animals. In 1838 he painted her spaniel Tilco, holding a quill and resting on a sealed letter.
A charming, warm toned picture for a cosy fireplace in a library or snug.
Create your portrait in this style
7. The Arab Tent
Edwin Landseer, The Arab Tent, 1866. Oil on canvas.
Landseer painted The Arab Tent in 1866, one of his most loved pictures. A white mare, her foal and two hounds rest together in the shade.
A large, peaceful picture for a grand fireplace in cream and warm brown.
Create your portrait in this style
Flowers and faces
A bouquet or a portrait turns the fireplace into a focal point.
8. A still-life with a spray of flowers
Rachel Ruysch, A still-life with a spray of flowers, ca. 1685-1700. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Rachel Ruysch was the most famous flower painter of her time, painting at Amsterdam for over sixty years. This spray of about 1685 to 1700 bursts out of the darkness in a lively diagonal.
A rich dark flower piece for a dramatic fireplace wall in green, navy or charcoal.
9. Flower Piece
Simon Verelst, Flower Piece, ca. 1700. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Simon Verelst, a Dutch painter who worked in London, painted this flower piece around 1700. His roses and poppies seem to glow in soft light.
Warm pinks and crimsons for a traditional room with warm wood.
10. Flowers beneath a Cartouche
Nicolas van Veerendael, Flowers beneath a Cartouche, 1676. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Nicolas van Veerendael of Antwerp painted this garland of flowers below a stone cartouche in 1676, every petal painted with scientific care.
A formal, symmetrical picture that suits a classical fireplace.
11. Berthe Morisot in Black
Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot in Black, 1872–74. Lithograph in black, with scraping, on off-white chine, laid down on ivory wove paper. Art Institute of Chicago.
Édouard Manet portrayed his friend, the painter Berthe Morisot, many times. In this lithograph of 1872 to 1874 she looks out from a velvety black ground.
A striking black and white portrait for a modern mantel with brass and marble.
12. Saint George
Andrea Mantegna, Saint George, c. 1460. Tempera on panel. Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice.
Andrea Mantegna painted this small Saint George around 1460. The young knight stands calmly under a fruit garland, the defeated dragon at his feet, against a bright blue sky.
A jewel like picture for a smaller fireplace, lovely with blue and gold accents.
Choose a picture about two thirds the width of the mantelpiece, and hang it with its lower edge 15 to 25 centimetres above the shelf, so the two read together. You can also lean a framed print on the mantel itself for a relaxed look. Frame it with a few objects in colours from its palette: candlesticks, a vase, a small stack of books. For a picture to change with the season, see our Christmas mantel ideas.
Questions
What size picture should go above a fireplace?
About two thirds the width of the mantelpiece. A picture that is too small looks lost, and one wider than the mantel looks top heavy.
How high should art hang above a mantel?
With its lower edge 15 to 25 centimetres above the shelf, so the picture and mantel read as one arrangement.
Should I hang or lean art on a mantel?
Both work. Hanging is more formal; leaning a framed print on the shelf, perhaps overlapped by a candlestick or vase, gives a relaxed, layered look.
What kind of painting goes above a fireplace?
Traditionally a landscape, a portrait, a dog or a flower piece. Choose a picture that reads well from across the room and whose colours echo the room around it.