What is the rice portrait?

The Rice Portrait is an oil painting of a young Jane Austen, painted by Ozias Humphry in 1788. It is believed to have been commissioned by Jane Austen’s great-uncle, Francis Austen.
 

who owns the rice portrait?

The primary owner of the Rice Portrait is Mrs Anne Rice. Her husband was a descendant of Jane Austen’s brother, Edward Austen Knight. You can find out more about the provenance of the portrait HERE.

are there any other paintings of jane austen in existence?

The Rice Portrait is the only oil painting of Jane Austen in the world. The only other known portraits of Jane Austen executed during her lifetime are a watercolour portrait of Austen sitting with her back to us, still in the ownership of the Austen family, and a small unsigned and undated amateur sketch, thought to be drawn by Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra, which was purchased by the National Portrait Gallery from the estate of a Cornish industrialist in 1948.

has the rice portrait ever been sold?

No, the Rice Portrait has never been sold. It was put up for auction in 2007 but did not sell. You can read more about why it did not sell HERE

why won’t the national portrait gallery authenticate it?

In the 1930s the National Portrait Gallery wanted to buy the Rice Portrait. Later, after they bought the small sketch by Jane Austen’s sister, they said the Rice Portrait was not Jane Austen after all and campaigned against it for many years. Now that it has been proved to be correct, they refuse to comment.

Any other questions?

You will find lots of information about the Rice Portrait in these pages but if you have any specific questions then we would be delighted to hear from you. You can get in touch via our Contact Page HERE