Princess Margaret is a 1957 painting by the Italian artist Pietro Annigoni depicting Princess Margaret, the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II.
The portrait shows Margaret against the backdrop of an English rose garden, which is a reference to her second name 'Rose'.[1] She reportedly took part in 21–33 sittings for the portrait, beginning in 1956,[1][2] with model Georgina Moore posing in Margaret's place in other sittings.[3] Annigoni described Margaret as being "enveloped in an aura of sensuality".[2][4] The painting originally hung in her private apartments at Kensington Palace and had been exhibited at the National Museum of Wales, in Cardiff, in 1977.[5] It was reportedly a favorite of her sister, the Queen.[1] The Wall Street Journal observed that despite Margaret being of average height, the portrait depicted her with the "long neck of a taller woman".[6]
In June 2006 along with much of Margaret's estate it was auctioned by her children to pay the inheritance tax bill.[5] It sold at the auction for £680,000, more than three times the original estimate, and it later emerged that Margaret's son Viscount Linley, was the anonymous buyer.[5][1][7] He lent the portrait to the National Portrait Gallery where it went on display between September 2008 and March 2009.[1][8]
In a satirical piece for The Guardian discussing the best and worst royal portraits, John Crace stated "this Botox thingy is simply marvellous."[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 Singh, Anita (18 September 2008). "Princess Margaret portrait on display". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 May 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Princess's portrait goes on show". BBC News. 18 September 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ "Princess Margaret's Controversial Portrait By Pietro Annigoni (1957)". Vintage Fashions by British Pathé. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2026 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Princess Margaret portrait goes on public view". The Times. 19 September 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 Davies, Catriona; Condron, Stephanie (15 June 2006). "Mystery buyer for Margaret portrait but it will stay here". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ "Princess Margaret, Larger Than Life". The Wall Street Journal. 6 March 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- ↑ "Princess Margaret's son buys her portrait back". Associated Press. 20 June 2006. Retrieved 24 April 2026 – via Today.
- ↑ "Pietro Annigoni: Princess Margaret". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
- ↑ Crace, John (11 January 2013). "The best (and worst) royal portraits - in pictures". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2025.