Blackpool-born artist's unseen Queen Elizabeth II sketches set to fetch more than £5,000 at auction
Unseen preparatory sketches of Queen Elizabeth II by Blackpool-born artist Jeff Stultiens, created ahead of one of her most famous portraits, are set to sell for more than £5,000 at auction.
Stultiens, who grew up in Blackpool and witnessed the Queen’s coronation procession as a child in 1953, was commissioned to paint a monumental 7.5ft (2.3m) portrait to mark the Queen’s 2003 Golden Jubilee.
The piece is considered one of the most impressive depictions of Her Majesty ever produced.
The artist was granted six hour-long sittings with the Queen in Buckingham Palace’s drawing room to capture her regal presence for the portrait, commissioned by Oxford University’s Oriel College.
When unveiled, the larger-than-life painting of the Queen in her garter robes gained worldwide attention for its striking realism and grandeur.
Now, previously unseen preparatory oils and pencil sketches by the Blackpool native that laid the groundwork for this iconic work are going under the hammer for the first time.
The studies will be auctioned by Hansons Auctioneers in Royston, Hertfordshire, on August 24, with estimates ranging from £80 to £2,000 each.
The sketches have been consigned by Stultiens’ ex-wife and their two daughters.
A spokesperson for Hansons praised Stultiens as “a gifted portrait painter who sought to capture not only the outward appearance but the inner qualities of his sitters - including notable figures such as Queen Elizabeth II.”
Stultiens, who studied at London’s Camberwell School of Art in the 1960s and later became a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, described the Queen as “very obliging and cooperative” during their sessions.
He said of the portrait, “It looks like the Queen and, for me, it feels like the Queen.”
He also requested the Queen be depicted wearing her garter robes to highlight her regal dignity.
The artist lived in Toddington, Bedfordshire, until his death in 2003 aged 79.
His works are held in the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection and other prestigious institutions.
Alongside the Queen sketches, the auction will also feature portraits of other notable figures painted by Stultiens, including Cardinal Basil Hume, percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie and respiratory specialist Professor Dame Margaret Turner-Warwick.