The Portrait
King Charles III
The Portrait, commissioned by Illustrated London News, has received great response since its reveal on 30 March. The splendid portrait was painted in oils by the talented scholar Alastair Barford a scholar of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST). It was created in only two weeks, after Barford was able to study The King at a Buckingham Palace reception on 17 February held in support of global biodiversity. It was later finished by working from his photographs and sketches of the occasion.
A detail of the portrait includes a bracelet on His Majesty’s wrist, presented to The King by the Amazon indigenous leader, Domingo Peas, at the Palace reception. The artist included the bracelet to give the portrait context and authenticity, a symbol of The King’s advocacy on climate change and sustainability.
Alastair Barford commented: “I wished to capture his warmth and sensitivity, the empathy which came across in his interactions with the people he met. It was important that I captured a sympathetic expression.” (Click here to read more from the artist)
Queen Elizabeth
This was not Barford’s first royal portrait. He was commissioned by ILN in 2015 to paint The Queen, to mark Her Majesty becoming the longest-reigning British monarch. It was his first ever commission and he observed The Queen at The Order of Garter Ceremony at Windsor. The portrait was hailed in The Daily Telegraph as “a far better likeness than many more famous artists have achieved from extensive sittings with The Queen” and The Daily Mail deemed it “stunning”. After The Queen‘s death in September 2022, The Daily Telegraph included Barford’s portrait as one of the top five portraits of Her Majesty.
It was the only formally commissioned painting of Her Majesty The Queen to mark the occasion of her becoming Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. A regal yet intimate portrait of Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Robes of the Order of the Garter as she attends the Garter Service at Windsor.
Limited edition prints of this historic commemorative painting, signed by the artist and carrying the official Illustrated London News stamp, can be ordered now by following this link.
https://recordreign.com/portrait/