New Quadruple Portrait Released

A new portrait of The Queen will feature in an upcoming exhibit of photographs by Hugo Rittson-Thomas. Inspired by 16th and 17th century paintings and reminiscent of the famous triple portrait of Charles I by Anthony van Dyck, the unique photos use mirrors to create "quadruple" portraits that show the subject from all sides.

Mr. Rittson-Thomas captured The Queen in 2013 at Windsor Castle. She's wearing a burgundy dress by Angela Kelly with her usual day jewels and the badge of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, because the picture was taken during an event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her colonelcy of the regiment.

The exhibit is called The Queen's People, and features portraits of several other members of the Royal Household and key ceremonial figures as well.

The Duchess of Cornwall was photographed this year while dressed up to attend the Royal Academy of Arts Dinner, with the Cubitt-Shand Tiara in place (the press releases simply refer to her jewelry as "family jewelry").

The Duke of Cambridge cuts an imposing figure in the frock coat of the Irish Guards in his portrait. He is Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment and was photographed in 2012 while attending their St. Patrick's Day festivities with The Duchess of Cambridge.

The Queen's People will be at the Eleven Gallery, London, from August 19 to September 19. The Telegraph has a gallery with more of the portraits; ITV News and BBC News have articles with some tidbits from the photographer on his time with Her Majesty.

Photos: Hugo Rittson-Thomas

Another New Portrait Released

The GREAT Britain Campaign and Harper's Bazaar shared another portrait of the Queen by David Bailey.

David Bailey’s photos of the Queen show ‘candor, wisdom, benevolence’ say @HarpersBazaarUS http://t.co/AcJhVXWVUo pic.twitter.com/TVMehPw0aA
— GREAT Britain (@GREATBritain) May 8, 2014

This is from the same shoot as the portrait released just before Her Maj's birthday, as you can tell, but this one includes the Queen's glorious set of sapphires (one of the best necklace/earrings sets in her collection, if you ask me). And I still like the informal way in which Mr. Bailey handled these portraits, making the Queen look so relaxed and approachable.

According to the link in the tweet, another photo from the shoot will be included in Harper's Bazaar magazine print edition.

George VI Sapphire Necklace and Earrings

Australian Diamond Jubilee Portrait

A Diamond Jubilee portrait of the Queen was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia. The portrait by Australian artist Ralph Heimans is entitled "The Coronation Theatre, Westminster Abbey: A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II".

This is breathtaking. The choice to paint her in her robe but without a crown on the spot she was crowned is genius: it allows her to have this humble and pensive look, as though she's looking back on the 60 years since and forward to the next all at once. What an impressive work, made all the more impressive when you learn that the artist had just one hour with the Queen total, and that one hour was in daylight at Buckingham Palace. A truly stunning and powerful portrait.

(And, since we are a jewel blog, I must note that he's managed to bring a tremendous amount of light to the diamonds, which is no easy feat.)

I like the above video as it gives you a sense of the scale of the work; click here for an article with more information on the painting and click here to see it close up at the artist's site.

Coronation Earrings and Coronation Necklace

Diamond Evening Watch

Engagement and Wedding Rings