Princess Diana portrait.Photo: Courtesy of Philip Mould & Company
An “extraordinarily rare” portrait ofPrincess Dianais going on display in London.
In the artwork, the princess is shown wearing a green velvet Catherine Walker halter dress that she wore in the lead-up to her famous 1997 Vanity Fair magazine shoot. Diana later changed into a traditional white blouse and blue skirt for the final image.
Unusually for a royal portrait, it captures the princess looking pensively down at the floor, with a single earring providing a sparkle of light.
Princess Diana.Anwar Hussein/Getty
“As royal painted portraits go, it is extraordinarily rare for an artist to capture both the public and private character simultaneously,” said gallerist Philip Mould in a release, perCNN. “Shank’s sketch uniquely fuses Diana’s glamour with the affecting pathos of her final years. We felt it belonged in a British collection and are delighted to be able to display it in her home city.”
The rare portrait depiction of the Princess of Wales joins the gallery as part of theMasterpiece Art Fair 2022exhibit.
It was originally displayed at the Kensington Palace home Diana shared with sonsPrince William, 40, andPrince Harry, 37, before it was later moved to her family estate at Althorp House in Northamptonshire, 75 miles north of London.
Princess Diana.Brian Rasic/Getty Images
The princess sat for more than 30 sittings at Shanks' studio in London to capture the image, which served as a preparatory study for a formal full-length portrait.
The image was also painted at a key moment in Diana’s personal life, as rumors of extramarital affairs and leaked telephone conversations slowly began to chip away at her marriage toPrince Charles.
Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William.Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty
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Prince Williamwrote a letterto the award winners, thanking the 180 young philanthropists for helping “keep her voice alive.”
Prince Harryappeared virtually at the ceremony,saying in the video address, “Today, we’re reflecting on what would have been my mother’s 61st birthday. And this year is also 25 years since her passing. There isn’t a day during the past two and half decades where I haven’t thought about the mark she left not only on me and my brother, but on all of our lives.”
“I see her legacy in all of you,” he continued. “I see her legacy in a Diana Award community that spans multiple generations. I see her legacy every time I meet with families, young people, and children from all corners of the world. And, I see my mum’s legacy when I look at my own children every day.”
source: people.com
