Portrait Of Queen For Auckland City

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28160, 26 December 1956, Page 3

Portrait Of Queen For Auckland City

(From the London Correspondent of “The Press”)

LONDON, December 18. A full-length portrait of the Queen, recently completed by Edward Halliday for Sir Ernest Davis, a former Mayor of Auckland, is a painting of considerable charm. It will be presented to the city of Auckland in the name of the late Lady Davis and Sir Ernest Davis, to commemorate the Queen’s visit to the city in 1953. Although no final arrangements have been made for shipping the painting, which measures Bft by sft, with its Crown-surmounted gilt frame, it is expected it will be sent to New Zealand early next year, after being displayed for a short time in New Zealand House. Mr Halliday is at present engaged in painting a replica of the portrait, which is to hang in Parliament House at Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia. Both the Queen and Sir Ernest Davis have consented to this and the dispatch of the portrait to New Zealand is being delayed while Mr Halliday paints the replica. Immediately the replica is completed the New Zealand portrait will be sent to Auckland. The painting was completed from studies Mr Halliday made of the Queen

at Windsor in April last year. The finished portrait has been shown to the Queen at Buckingham Palace, and she has told Mr Halliday she is very pleased with it. It is the sixth portrait he has painted of Her Majesty. The painting shows the Queen standing near a window of the State apartments at Windsor Castle, with the Round Tower seen across the courtyard. The Royal Standard is living from the flagstaff. Her Majesty is depicted wearing an evening dress of cream lace and tulle and the diamond tiara given to her by Queen Mary at the time of her marriage. She wears the blue sash of the Garter, and on it is pinned a diamond New Zealand fern frond presented to her by the women of Auckland on Christmas Day, 1953. In the portrait, the Queen wears her pink and grey-green Family Orders, to which are pinned miniature portraits of her father and grandfather set in small diamond-studded frames. She also wears a diamond necklace, pearl drop earrings, a diamond bracelet watch on the left wrist, and a pearl bracelet on her right wrist. Immediately behind her are a small reception table and maroon velvet drapes.