Memorial portrait of a loved one, painted by hand

Your questions, before commissioning

How much does a memorial portrait cost?

From 90 € on A4 paper, from 180 € on a 30×40 cm canvas, 240 € for 40×50 cm, 320 € for 50×70 cm. The price follows the size alone: bringing several people together on the same canvas costs the price of the canvas you choose. The first two sketches are complimentary, she adjusts them with you, and the quote leaves within 48 hours.

Who paints the portrait?

Giulia Dal Bon, a painter trained at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. She exhibits her paintings in art galleries, paints by brush, on canvas or on paper, from your photos, and ships the painting anywhere in Europe, carefully packed. Corriere della Sera, Domus and Sky Arte have covered her work.

What exactly do I receive?

The painting itself, on canvas or on paper depending on the size chosen, varnished, signed if you wish, and carefully packed for shipping, sent from the country of destination. Before that, you receive the first two sketches, free of charge, and you follow the progress in photos. A 50 % deposit after the sketch is approved, the balance at the end.

How does the work go, concretely?

Send Giulia Dal Bon your photos, even old ones, of the person who has passed away, and she brings your idea to life with you. She offers you a free quote within 48 hours, then two free sketches: you tell her what you think, and she adjusts. She paints, you follow the progress, and your portrait is delivered to your home, carefully packed. A portrait starts at 90 €.

How long should I allow?

The sketch arrives quickly. Then allow about a week between the approved sketch and the shipping of the painting, plus a few days in transit: the exact lead time is written in the quote. If you have a date in mind, an anniversary, a memorial service, a family gathering, say so in the first message: Giulia organises the work so the painting arrives in time.

How long after a death can a portrait be commissioned?

Whenever it feels right. Some people commission in the weeks that follow, for the ceremony or for the house; others wait a year, a birthday, a birth. Giulia works with the same care in both cases, from the photos you have, even old or damaged ones. Two complimentary sketches, adjusted with you, free quote within 48 hours.

Can the person be painted younger than in the last photos?

Yes. You may prefer the face from before the illness, or from a happy period. Send photos from several periods: Giulia composes from the one you choose and relies on the others for the likeness. You approve the face on the sketch before she paints.

Why a painting rather than an enlarged photo?

A photo shows an instant; a painting gives back a presence. The brush chooses what matters, softens what the photo had hardened, recovers the colour of a gaze that a print had lost. A painted portrait is looked at for a long time and holds a wall the way a person holds a room. That is why these portraits are handed down, while a photo frame often ends up in a drawer.

How does Giulia work on a memorial portrait?

At your pace, showing you every step. You send the photographs and, if you wish, a few lines about the person: what you tell her guides the light, the background, the clothes, the object that looked like them. Giulia first draws two sketches, included, you choose one, then she paints while showing you the progress. Every step waits for your agreement, and she adjusts the design with you until the face is right.

Which photos do I need, if the ones left are old?

The ones you have are enough. A small, creased, black-and-white or slightly blurred photo can be the starting point: the painting recovers the colours and the relief the print had lost. If you have several, send them all, even imperfect ones: each brings something, a bearing here, a smile there, the true colour of the eyes elsewhere.

What if I want to explain who this person was?

Do, it helps. What you tell guides the painting: the light, the background colour, the clothes he or she always wore, the object people associate with them. Giulia listens first and paints afterwards. Many people write a few lines when sending the photos, and those few lines steer the painting better than any technical instruction.

What other forms can this remembrance take?

Bringing several people together on one canvas, including those life has separated. Giving the painting to someone in the family rather than keeping it. Having an animal painted that mattered. And starting from an old damaged photo when it is the only one left. Each of these requests has its own page, with the process and the sizes.