What is a Portrait?

In answering the title question this paper will aim for extensional adequacy, that is, it will aim to formulate an account that captures as much of the extension as possible of what we ordinarily think counts as a portrait. Two philosophers have recently, and independently from one another, embarked on the same project. Cynthia Freeland’s theory of portraiture, as it is developed in her book Portraits & Persons, is discussed in sections 1 and 2 of this paper. Sections 3 and 4 offer a critical exploration of Paulo Spinicci’s phenomenological study of portraiture. Finally, in sections 5 and 6, an alternative account of portraiture is presented, one that seeks to address all the objections raised against the two competing theories.