Pietro Annigoni: The Portrait of Queen Elizabeth, Pt. 1

Pietro Annigoni's "Portrait of Queen Elizabeth"
in Fishmonger's Hall

"One day when I was at Wildenstein's gallery, Tim Whidborne brought me a letter that he had picked up at my studio. I opened and read it. It was from the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers and asked if I would be willing to paint for them a portrait of the Queen. I thought they were some little association who would want me to copy a photograph, but I asked Tim: 'Who are the Fishmongers?' 'People who sell fish. Why?' 'They want me to paint a portrait of the Queen for them,' I said, dropping the letter. Tim picked it up, read it, and laughed. 'This is serious,' he said, and told me how important those Fishmongers were. Later it transpired that several of the most influential members had been to see my show before deciding to honour me with the commission for the portrait that would hang in their Hall alongside those of Kings and Queens of centuries past.

After I had gratefully and proudly accepted, the Queen's acceptance of me had to be obtained. The Fishmongers borrowed the portrait of Juanita Forbes to show her as an example of my work. In any case she had already seen my portrait of Mrs. Christie-Miller, and had been sent photographs of some of my paintings by ex-Queen Helena of Romania, my friend for many years in Florence.

Once the Queen's approval was given, then only did the enormous importance of the undertaking hit me. It could make or break me. If I failed, all the prestige and goodwill I had earned for myself in Britain would be lost and I would feel bitter about it for the rest of my life. For that reason I wanted as many sittings as possible. I work slowly and would have like thirty one-hour sessions, but I knew that no other painter had been given more than seven or eight sittings, so I asked for twenty-five. The reply came from Buckingham Palace that the Queen would give me fifteen. Not enough. And yet I knew that I was being exceptionally favoured.

Two months passed before all the details were settled. Then it was decided that the earliest the sittings could start would be October. I returned to Florence and tried to work but, naturally perhaps, my mind was all the time occupied with the daunting undertaking to which I had committed myself. But out of all my preoccupation with the subject came only vague, cliché-ridden, theatrical, and romantic notions about the portrait; and when I returned to London at the beginning of October I still had no serious idea and felt nothing approaching inspiration." 

To be continued) 

(Excerpted from "Pietro Annigoni: An Artist's Life" by Pietro Annigoni, 1977.)