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Lot 100AR
Edward Seago, RWS(British, 1910-1974)Portrait of King George VI, half length, standing in his RAF uniform
Withdrawn
Amended
28 September 2016, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street£15,000 - £20,000
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Edward Seago, RWS (British, 1910-1974)
Portrait of King George VI, half length, standing in his RAF uniform
signed 'Edward Seago' (lower left)
oil on canvas
114 x 88.5cm (44 7/8 x 34 13/16in).
signed 'Edward Seago' (lower left)
oil on canvas
114 x 88.5cm (44 7/8 x 34 13/16in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Private collection, UK
The present lot is a portrait of George VI, seen in his Royal Air Force uniform. It is a fitting tribute to a King who was the first member of the Royal family to train as a pilot and who was an officer in the RAF from when it was founded in 1918, through it's finest hour in 1940 and beyond into the jet age. George VI is often seen as the reluctant King but his stoicism, patriotism, sense of duty, and reliability made him the ideal monarch for such troubled times. His solid character became a rallying point for a nation going through war and great change during his reign.
George VI, christened Albert and always known to his close family as 'Bertie', served in the Royal Navy throughout the majority of World War I. After having seen action at Jutland and been mentioned in dispatches he was transferred to a teaching role in 1918 following health issues. The RAF was established two months later and Albert transferred in August 1918. He was then posted to the Cadet School at St Leonards-on-Sea where he completed a fortnight's training and took command of a squadron on the Cadet Wing.
At this point the war on the western front was still being fought with heavy losses and Albert wanted to play an active role on the continent. He was seconded to General Trenchard's staff and on 23 October he flew across the Channel to Autigny. For the closing weeks of the war and the months following the armistice, he served on the staff at RAF HQ in Nancy. He qualified as a pilot on 31 July 1919 and gained a promotion to Squadron Leader the following day.
Although Albert had seen active service with the Navy, it was in the RAF that he felt more comfortable. His father George V spent the majority of his life in the Navy and its traditions and strict etiquette formed a large part of Albert's upbringing and early adulthood. Perhaps the RAF allowed him to step out of his father's shadow in a way that was not possible in the Navy. At key moments in his reign he is seen in an RAF uniform, for instance when he was married. This loyalty to the RAF that started in World War I only became stronger and more relevant after the Battle of Britain and the central role of the RAF in Britain's overall war effort in World War II.
Seago has always had a special relationship with the Royal Family which only strengthened over the years, helped by the Queen Mother, wife of George VI, becoming a major collector. The Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales are also collectors. The current lot shows the confidence and assured brushwork of Seago at his best. It also shows his control of tone that is so familiar in his landscapes and which translates so well into his portraiture.
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This lot has been withdrawn.