Porter portraits up for auction

Ever fancied having a painting of your favourite porter hanging in your room? Now you have the chance to make that dream come true.

Who wouldn’t want a portrait of one of these guys?

Artist Louise Riley-Smith has produced 27 portraits of porters at nine colleges: Clare Hall, Corpus Christi, Churchill, Gonville & Caius, Homerton, Jesus, Newnham, Sidney Sussex and Trinity.

The pictures will go on under the hammer at Cheffins’ auction rooms on Thursday 27^th April and are expected to raise between £200 and £300 each.

The collection features at least three portraits of women porters

Speaking to Cambridge News, spokeswoman Lisa Freeman-Basset called Riley-Smith “one of the most sought-after portrait artists working today” and explained the inspiration behind the porter paintings,

“Her series of 27 portraits of the head porters at Cambridge’s various university colleges were inspired by her husband, Jonathan Riley-Smith, the former Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History, who had suggested that a tribute ought to be paid to their crucial role in college life and how it has changed over their working years.”

Sidney Sussex’s head porter Colin Maxted features in the series

If you want to check the portraits out before they go on sale, they’ll be on show at Cheffins’ headquarters on Clifton road from Tuesday 25^th April.