A Portrait of the Witcher as an Old Man – Witcher 3: Blood and Wine Quest

This guide is a walkthrough of a side quest in the Witcher 3: Blood and Wine DLC. The guide is composed of a map, map legend, and walkthrough to show readers exactly where to go and what to do to complete the quest.

Map Legend

1 – Painter’s Stall
2 – Western Gate
3 – Supplies Site
4 – Cave
5 – Griffin Nest

Background

After completing the quest The Warble of a Smitten Knight, you’ll meet a painter in the Beauclair market (#1). Talking to him will trigger the quest.

Walkthrough

The painter will gush about your facial features, and he’ll hire you to pose for him. To do the modelling, you’ll have to meet the painter at the western gate (#2) at noon. He’ll then lead you to where he left his paints and his easel (#3). However, when you get there, you’ll find some people having a picnic, and you’ll discover that the painter’s supplies are missing.

To help the painter out, you’ll need to turn on your witcher senses and look around. Near some bushes, you’ll spot a puddle of spilled paint, and you’ll be able to detect the smell of turpentine. When you follow the odor, it will lead you on a winding path to a cave.

Inside the cave (#4), you’ll encounter a group of level 40+ nekkers and nekker warriors. After defeating them, when you search the cave you’ll spot a wall painting depicting nekkers defeating a troll, and you’ll also find the painter’s Painting Accessories. Picking up the accessories will earn you 100 xp.

When you return to the painter, he’ll lead you to a different site (#5), and he’ll ask you how you want to pose. You’ll have three choices for this: on horseback, heroic, or reclining. However, while you’re posing, a level 43 griffin will swoop in and attack you. Griffins are hybrids, and they’re poisonous, so applying Hybrid Oil to your silver sword and quaffing a Golden Oriole potion will make the fight easier. When the griffin dies, you’ll earn 250 xp, and it’ll leave behind two corpses. On one of the corpses, you’ll find a Griffin Trophy. On the other, you’ll find a leveled version of the Toussaint Ducal Guardsman’s Steel Sword.

Note: Killing the griffin will earn you the Valor virtue for the quest There Can Be Only One.

After the battle, the painter will ask you if you want to include the griffin in your portrait. You can either say yes or no, which will give you six possibilities for what the portrait will look like (3 poses x 2 griffin options). The painter will then head back to his studio to finish things up, and he’ll invite you to visit his stall the next day to see how the portrait turned out. This conversation will earn you 300 crowns and 150 xp.

When you return to the painter the next day (#1), he’ll have quite a crowd looking at your portrait — which won’t be quite what you expected. The painter will offer to sell you the portrait for 1000 crowns. If you buy it then you’ll receive one of six Portraits of Geralt, and you’ll earn 100 xp. If you decline the offer, then you’ll be able to return to the painter later for the same deal.

Note: Paying for your portrait will earn you the Generosity virtue for the quest There Can Be Only One.