Having just got round to reading the May/June edition of the Royal British Legion magazine (http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/a517f6ab#/a517f6ab/1), I was interested to read about the commissioned portrait of H.M. The Queen by Darren Baker.

There is incredible detail in the drapes and background, also quite a good (IMHO) likeness of Her Majesty, consequently I was keen to read the artists comments of the details.

Darren spent 200hrs on the portrait and just a quarter of this was on The Queen herself. Anyway, cutting to the chase, I was even more amazed to read that even things like the time on The Queens watch were taken into consideration;

THE WATCH
Sharp eyes will notice that the watch on the Queen's left wrist appears to read 11 o'clock. This was deliberate, say Darren.
"It seemed a subtle way of emphasising Her Majesty's links with the Legion and, fortunately she was wearing a wristwatch on the day of the sitting."

Link to Large Pic (http://www.orihuelacostarbl.com/images/The%20Queens%20Potrait.gif)

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g11/silsoesid/RBLQueenPortrait.png


The even sharper eyed amongst us would notice that the Queen's watch does indeed say 11 o'clock, however, it appears that she must have put it on upside down on the day of the relevant sitting !!!

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g11/silsoesid/TheWatch.png

Oh my...

It's amazing how much attention to detail the artist went through only to make such a mind-numbingly simple error...:sad:

what dose 5:30 represent ...happy hour?:ok:

Just received the reply to an e-mail;

We're pretty sure the artist wants it to be a talking point: see the
letters page in our next issue of Legion, where this is discussed.

Mmmm, yea right! He did it on purpose to make it a talking point :suspect:

I hope Buck House is in on the talking point version of things :ok:

I find that hard to believe. Being remembered for the wrong reasons.


Reminds me of the artist (? Australian ?) who painted war scenes / battles
and somewhere in his paintings is a little mouse carrying an Australian Flag.

The artist known for his little mouse in his depictions was/is Terence Cuneo. Dunno about a mouse carrying a flag! Good artist anyway. Don't much like to new BL painting of HM though.

Every Cuneo painting has a mouse; usually depicted having some of the action be it with rifle, sword, ensign etc etc

Its a ballache to find them but usually once found you wonder how you could miss it.

Didn't Cuneo paint pictures of trains. I seem to remember there was always a mouse somewhere in the painting.

Perhaps the artist is trying to convey that HM, simply by virtue of being HM doesn't need to read the time for herself and that the watch is worn to enable servants to read the time off it for her?

:E
Hat, coat and disappearing in a cloud of dust....

Didn't Cuneo paint pictures of trains. I seem to remember there was always a mouse somewhere in the painting.

He did indeed, and there is a mouse to be found in many, but not all, of his paintings and, I seem to recall, that there is even a mouse incorporated into the statue of TC located at Waterloo Station.

Jack

PS And he was English, and a WWII Sapper to boot before becoming a war artist.:ok:

Looking at He Majesty's left hand is it the thumb, the first finger and the third finger that we see?

It's official then, Betty shops at my local Asda, because although I was already wearing a poppy I had just bought, they still pounced on me to attempt to sell me another, looks like she couldn't say no.

:E


It's a cracking picture, do you think he dared slip a mouse into it?

" because although I was already wearing a poppy I had just bought, they still pounced on me to attempt to sell me another,"


That's a bit like McDonald's drive through, order just Fries and they often ask "Do you want Fries with that". !!!