Portrait on the banknotes of Mauritius. 

Italian artist Pietro Annigoni was in despair: work on the painting was going on hard, and he could not manage to "grasp" the character of the 28-year-old Queen Elizabeth, transfer it to the canvas ... Until Her Majesty spoke to him in French, talking about how in childhood she loved to sit by the window, looking at people and imagining how they live. At that very moment, the artist finally felt the inspiration and finished the canvas with ease.

Today we will talk about a portrait that is little known to the general public (for 60 years of its existence, it was exhibited only 3 times). The image of Queen Elizabeth II on the banknotes of the island of Mauritius is taken from him - one of the best, according to critics, royal portraits of the twentieth century!

The painting depicts a majestic monarch - and at the same time an ordinary woman with a pensive and dreamy gaze directed into the distance. Her Majesty is depicted in robes, with the regalia of the Order of the Garter. The Noble Order of the Garter is England's highest knightly award.

Author - https://instagram.com/alekseydobrovolsky