Today (Monday 13 June) a rare portrait of Her Majesty the Queen goes on display at The Royal Society for Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce in London.
The image was captured in 2004 by the artist-holographer and RSA Fellow Rob Munday and was recently rediscovered.
Mr Munday found the portrait last August while going through his archive, including more than 8,000 images featuring the Queen that he took during two sittings in Buckingham Palace’s yellow drawing room nearly a decade ago.
Mr Munday said: “As I pushed the button to take a test shot, one of the Queen’s close aides made a funny remark and the very faintest of smiles came through just at that exact moment. You very seldom see our monarch in an unguarded moment, which is what makes this particular image so special.”
Andy Haldane, the RSA’s Chief Executive Officer said: “Showing off this remarkable image, taken by an esteemed RSA Fellow using the cutting-edge technology he developed, is a perfect way for us to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Her Majesty the Queen is the RSA’s patron, and this is our way to celebrate and thank her for her support and service during her seventy years on the throne.”
The original holographic portrait of the Queen, titled Equanimity, by artist Chris Levine and holographer Munday, was commissioned in 2003 by the Jersey Heritage Trust to celebrate 800 years of the island’s loyalty to the Crown.
Two sittings took place and to create a three-dimensional portrait, more than 8,000 images were captured using a Dalsa machine vision camera, at the time the fastest and highest-resolution video camera in the world, able to capture 30 frames per second.
In 2012, the portrait appeared on a Jersey £100 banknote and featured on the front cover of Time Magazine’s Diamond Jubilee issue. It was previously voted visitors’ favourite portrait at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
The original ‘test shot’ and the final holographic image will now be on display in the entrance hall at the RSA on John Adam Street, WC2.
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