An Oddity

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 107443

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "pippin_999" <foxmoth at q...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "gregory_lynn" 
> <gregory_lynn at y...> wrote:
> 
> > Anyone else think it's odd that we haven't seen any portraits of 
> the  founders?  <
> 
> I think the craft of magical portrait making hadn't been perfected 
> at that time. Otherwise they wouldn't have needed to put their 
> brains in the Sorting Hat. They could have had their portraits 
> select the candidates as they themselves  had done -- "while still 
> alive they did divide their favorites from the throng" (GoF).

I'll bet you're right.

 I'd love to know a lot more about magical portraits - do they capture
the person's personality and habits of mind at the time the painting
was made? (you'd think so).  So, if a painting of Sirius done
pre-Azkaban was found, what would that be like?  Would Portrait!Sirius
not know Harry?  Is a portrait capable of independent thought? (seems so).

The only problem I see with your portrait-selection hypothesis is that
the paintings may not be able to get into the candidates' heads the
way the Hat does, but that's sheer speculation.

Jim Ferer