Name/Title
Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in the Robes of the Order of the BathEntry/Object ID
2001.01.62Description
Print
Print (undated) after 1957 oil painting by Leonard Monro Boden. The original painting was done for the Officer's Mess, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. This was Boden's first portrait of the Queen, and she is shown in formal dress with the ceremonial regalia of the Order of the Bath.
Queen Elizabeth II reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from February 1952 until her death in September 2022. She was the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch, and the longest recorded of any female head of state in history.Artwork Details
Medium
Reproduction print on paperSubject Place
Region
Western EuropeContinent
EuropeContext
The Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I in 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which included a ritual bath symbolic of spiritual purification and a vigil the night before receiving the honour.
King George I constituted the Knights of the Bath as a regular 'Military Order'. An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organization to a person, usually in recognition of individual merit, conferred as a reward either for military service or for exemplary civilian achievement, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sashes worn by recipients. The Order consists of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom (now King Charles III), the Great Master (vacant 2023), and three classes of members: Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Knight or Dame Commander and Companion. Women were admitted to the Order for the first time in 1971.
Here, the seated Queen is wearing a rich red mantle made of crimson satin lined with white taffeta, with the Order of the Bath star on the left side, tied with a cordon of white silk with tassels of crimson and gold. The collar is worn over top of the mantle attached at each shoulder with a white bow, with the badge/cross suspended from the collar. Members of the Order wear vestments and regalia for ceremonies and other important occasions, the types of which vary by rank.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Leonard Monro Boden, RSPP (1911-1999)Role
PainterArtist
UnknownRole
PrintmakerDate made
n.d.Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Greenock, Scotland, Leonard Monro Boden was a noted British painter, a favourite and frequent painter of royal portraits. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art, and among his tutors were the portrait artists William Oliphant Hutchison (1889-1970) and Francis Hodge (1881-1949). Boden and his wife later studied at Heatherley School of Fine Art in London, and together, they worked on illustrating books in the 1930s. After his World War II service, he began to paint portraits professionally, gaining a reputation for his depictions of distinguished men and women in the worlds of industry, commerce, medicine, the armed forces, politics and the arts that followed over the next 40 years.
A portrait of Field Marshal Lord Milne was Boden's first large-scale commission in 1954. Portraits of other dignitaries followed such as three Lord Mayors of London and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In 1957 Boden had the rare opportunity to paint a reigning pope, Pope Pius XII. Boden believed conversation helped to reveal the personality of the sitter and he had 14 sittings with the pope. He completed 19 portraits of members of the British Royal family, including ten of Queen Elizabeth II and five of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Four of his portraits of the Queen were painted for government institutions in Canada. It is believed that his wife’s painting skills supported his work and were instrumental in his success. By the time of his death, Boden was a noted art-world figure. He was a freeman of the City of London, a vice-president of the Artists' General Benevolent Institution and a gold medalist of the Paris Salon.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Inscription, LabelTranscription
Verso frame
Handwritten: Donated to UCBC by Dr. Colin Ramsey (Estate) 29/07/09
Gordon Ramsey, son with phone number [in file]
Printed: Title of work and artist
Printed for the Officers Mess, The Royal Military Academy, SandhurstDimensions
Dimension Description
SupportHeight
73.7 cmWidth
59.7 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftDate
2009Notes
Legacy collection
Donated by Dr. Colin Ramsey (Estate)Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
2001.01.02.a Portrait of HRH Queen Elizabeth II
2001.01.02.b Portrait of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
2001.01.02.c Portraits of HRH Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (reproductions)
2001.01.62 Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in the Robes of the Order of the Bath
2001.01.89 Portrait of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada
2018.09.05 Portrait of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II
2018.10.01 Portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II Queen of Canada and HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
2022.04.04 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Queen of Canada
2023.04.13 Portrait of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
