The art of the coronation
Our first glimpses at the artistic imagery of that regal event
Portraits are very personal. Everyone, from sitter and artist to the general public, has their own strong opinion of the creation. The intensity of those reactions seem especially strong when the portraits are destined to be hung on the walls of palaces and castles, near those commissioned by umpteen generations of royals.
On the second anniversary of their coronation, King Charles III and Queen Camilla went to the National Gallery for the grand unveiling of their coronation state portraits. The King and Queen personally selected the artists, who have worked on previous royal commissions. While the sitters seemed happy with the final portraits, the paintings may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
The King’s portrait was painted by Peter Kuhfeld, who has known the royal for more than 40 years. He’d just left the Royal Academy Schools when Charles “asked me to paint the Princes, William and Harry, who were then 5½ and 3½ years old.” It would be the first of many commissions. For this official portrait, Kuhfeld “tried to produce a painting that is both human and regal, continuing the tradition of royal portraiture.” He got five sittings with the monarch, plus another just to capture the details of the Imperial State Crown.
Charles clearly likes Kuhfeld’s loose, impressionistic style of painting. The King wears his usual quizzical expression as he gazes off into the distance in this portrait, which focuses more on the crown and ornate trappings of the monarchy than the man who had been crowned in the historic Westminster Abbey.
It echoes the now famous “Red Portrait” by Jonathan Yeo, which also toys with traditional royal portrayals.
In contrast, Queen Camilla’s portrait by Paul Benney is a study in regal confidence. The artist’s realistic style highlights the Queen’s steady gaze and hint of a smile as she stands alone in front of an intense blue backdrop, with only her robes, Queen Mary’s crown, and a gilt table providing additional regal gravitas. While acknowledging the “grand and historic nature of the coronation iconography,” Benney wanted to also ‘reveal the humanity and empathy of such an extraordinary person taking on an extraordinary role.” It sounds as though he really enjoyed the commission. Benney spent nearly a year working on the portrait in a temporary studio at their private London residence of Clarence House. “I have deep and abiding memories of many hours of fascinating and sometime hilarious conversation with Her Majesty on countless varied subjects,” he recounted.
The portraits will be on display in the Central Hall of the National Gallery until June 5, after which they will move to their permanent positions in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace.
Capturing the coronation
In another part of the King’s artistic initiatives focused on the coronation, he commissioned five Royal Drawing School alumni to capture events of that May weekend in 2023:
Fraser Scarfe was outside Buckingham Palace and Gideon Summerfield was at Trafalgar Square on the procession route
Phoebe Stannard was at Westminster Abbey
Shana Lohrey capture the Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle
Eileen Hogan, a professor emeritus at the University of the Arts London and a trustee of the Royal Drawing School, was commissioned to paint the coronation service from within Westminster Abbey
Their works, which are now part of the Royal Collection, were also unveiled this week. In particular, Eileen Hogan’s oil-and-wax paintings capture the emotion and solemnity of the coronation, especially when Prince William pays homage to his father and swears his oath of allegiance, and when King Charles III is invested with the Colobium Sindonis, a simple linen shift.
Others use more modern tools, including iPads. For “Saluting the crowds,” Fraser Scarfe used 24 small wooden panels to capture the mood outside Buckingham Palace as the King, Queen, and other royals appeared on the famous balcony. “It was that moment that I thought really stood out to me; the joy of the people; the mass of people waving flags; and coming through to cheer and celebrate was such a special moment,” explained Scarfe.
Others capture the immediacy of being an artist on the move. Phoebe Stannard’s monotype prints illustrate those small moments that didn’t make the front pages of newspapers yet reflect what many saw on the coronation weekend — the pomp, circumstance, and intricate attention to detail on display.
Their creations add to an impressive collection of artwork commissioned by Charles III, including by artists who have accompanied him on foreign tours. Like the coronation state portraits, some of these pieces, including items from his private collection, will be on display during the summer opening of Buckingham Palace, which runs from July 10 to September 28.
For more on Charles’s cultural endeavours, read my post, “Charles III takes centre stage as the Arts King.”
My latest on Global TV’s The Morning Show on May 5: