{"product_id":"pastoral-majesty-oil-portrait-queen-camilla-at-wiltshire-farm-with-prized-animals","title":"Pastoral Majesty Oil Portrait Queen Camilla at Wiltshire Farm with Prized Animals","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDiana Douglas-Hamilton (1932-2019)\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eQueen Camilla, Then Camilla Parker Bowles, with a Prize Ram, Horses and Sheep, 2002\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSigned British Country Portrait with Livestock and Horses — Oil on Canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHighlights\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• Signed original British oil on canvas\u003cbr\u003e• Dated 2002\u003cbr\u003e• By portrait and animal artist Diana Douglas-Hamilton (1932-2019)\u003cbr\u003e• Female sitter traditionally identified as Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Camilla\u003cbr\u003e• Identification supported by visual likeness, compatible age and historical context\u003cbr\u003e• Late-career work painted when Douglas-Hamilton was approximately seventy\u003cbr\u003e• Informal full-length portrait within an extensive country landscape\u003cbr\u003e• Monumental haltered ram occupying the foreground\u003cbr\u003e• Flock of sheep extending through the surrounding pasture\u003cbr\u003e• Two horses and a dark pony depicted beyond\u003cbr\u003e• Farm or stable buildings within the middle distance\u003cbr\u003e• Combines portraiture, sporting art, animal painting and landscape\u003cbr\u003e• Careys picture framers label surviving verso\u003cbr\u003e• Recorded at Claydon Auctioneers in August 2024\u003cbr\u003e• Decorative gilt moulded frame\u003cbr\u003e• Supplied with Certificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA distinctive signed British country portrait by \u003cstrong\u003eDiana Douglas-Hamilton (1932-2019)\u003c\/strong\u003e, bringing together portraiture, livestock and equestrian subjects within an expansive rural landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExecuted in 2002, the work depicts a woman traditionally identified as Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Camilla. Rather than adopting the conventions of a formal society portrait, Douglas-Hamilton places the sitter outdoors in practical country clothing alongside a large haltered ram.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe surrounding landscape contains a flock of sheep, two horses and a dark pony, together with agricultural buildings, pasture, trees and hedgerows.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis integration of human and animal subjects is particularly relevant to Douglas-Hamilton's wider artistic career, during which portraiture, horses and other animals formed recurring themes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eArtist: Diana Mairi Douglas-Hamilton (1932-2019), later Diana Younger\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTitle: Queen Camilla, Then Camilla Parker Bowles, with a Prize Ram, Horses and Sheep\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDate: 2002\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMedium: Oil on canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGenre: British Portrait, Sporting, Animal and Equestrian Painting\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSubject: Woman traditionally identified as Camilla Parker Bowles with ram, flock of sheep, horses and pony\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSignature: Signed and dated \"Diana Douglas-Hamilton 2002\" lower right\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCanvas Dimensions: Approximately 59.7 cm high x 74.9 cm wide (23.5 x 29.5 inches)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFramed Dimensions: 66 cm high x 82 cm wide x 2 cm deep\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrame: Decorative gilt moulded frame\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReverse: Printed Careys Specialist Picture Framers \u0026amp; Mount Cutters label and partially legible historic marking to canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Note\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDouglas-Hamilton has given the ram an unusually commanding position within the painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShown almost fully in profile, the animal occupies much of the immediate foreground. Its substantial pale fleece contrasts against its dark face and legs, while the halter held by the sitter establishes a direct relationship between the two figures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe woman stands immediately behind the ram and looks outward towards the viewer. Her pink and white striped blouse provides a distinctive chromatic accent against the surrounding greens and muted natural tones.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFurther sheep are distributed across the fields, creating a gradual transition from the principal animal portrait into the broader landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo the right, two horses and a dark pony introduce the equestrian component of the composition. Behind them, a range of agricultural or stable buildings creates the middle distance before trees and hedgerows close the horizon.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe handling becomes progressively broader away from the foreground. The sitter and ram receive greater descriptive attention, while the distant livestock, vegetation and architecture are more freely articulated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe work consequently brings together several established traditions within British art: portraiture, livestock painting, equestrian art and the pastoral landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts signed date of 2002 places the painting firmly within Douglas-Hamilton's mature late career.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Sitter and Visual Identification\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe female sitter is traditionally identified as \u003cstrong\u003eCamilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Camilla\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eComparative consideration of photographs of Camilla Parker Bowles from around the beginning of the 21st century provides visual support for the identification.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painted sitter exhibits general characteristics consistent with Camilla's appearance during this period, including the facial proportions, rounded structure of the face, cheek area, hairstyle and colouring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChronology provides further supporting context. Camilla was born on 17 July 1947 and would therefore have been 54 or 55 during 2002. The apparent age of Douglas-Hamilton's sitter is compatible with this timeframe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe informal rural presentation is also noteworthy. The woman is shown in practical clothing surrounded by horses and livestock, corresponding with Camilla's longstanding public association with horses and country life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese observations constitute comparative and contextual evidence rather than documentary identification.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Claydon Auctioneers offered this painting on 18 August 2024, the catalogue described it as \u003cem\u003e\"A farm scene with a woman, sheep and horses \/ ponies.\"\u003c\/em\u003e No sitter was named.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResearch undertaken subsequently has not presently located a contemporary commission record, artist's inscription, correspondence or exhibition catalogue explicitly identifying Camilla Parker Bowles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe identification is therefore presented as a considered researched interpretation supported by visual likeness, compatible chronology and historical context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWiltshire and Ray Mill\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCamilla Parker Bowles maintained her private Wiltshire residence at Ray Mill House near Lacock during the period in which Douglas-Hamilton painted this work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished descriptions of Ray Mill record substantial grounds and facilities for horses. This provides potentially relevant context for a composition depicting a woman traditionally identified as Camilla within a pastoral and equestrian environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe buildings visible in the painting appear to be agricultural or stable structures and should not be identified as Ray Mill House itself, which has a different architectural character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNor has research presently established through documentation or architectural comparison that the painting was executed anywhere within the Ray Mill estate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe possible Wiltshire and Ray Mill association therefore remains contextual rather than a confirmed identification of the location.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnimal Portraiture and the Ram\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe foreground ram deserves particular consideration because its scale and positioning indicate that Douglas-Hamilton regarded the animal as considerably more than incidental livestock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is brought directly before the viewer, haltered and physically presented by the sitter. The remainder of the flock occupies a much less prominent position deeper within the landscape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis approach corresponds well with Douglas-Hamilton's documented interest in individual animal and equestrian subjects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCamilla's own interest in sheep is independently documented at a later date. Contemporary reporting in 2007 recorded that the then Prince Charles presented her with a rare-breed ram and ewe for her 60th birthday.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the present work is securely dated 2002, those particular animals cannot appear in this composition. The later episode nevertheless provides useful biographical context concerning Camilla's interest in livestock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe identity and ownership of the animals within the painting remain unconfirmed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Artist\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiana Mairi Douglas-Hamilton (1932-2019), subsequently Diana Younger, was a British artist whose career encompassed portraiture, animal painting, equestrian subjects and sculpture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe studied Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art between 1949 and 1953. Among her teachers were Sir William Gillies and Sir William MacTaggart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer artistic practice subsequently expanded across oils, watercolours, pastels and sculpture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDouglas-Hamilton had a longstanding personal involvement with horses. Published biographical accounts record her as a rider and as an owner and breeder of horses and ponies, providing an important background to the equestrian and animal subjects found throughout her work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer known output includes portraits and sporting compositions. A collaborative work with Leesa Sandys-Lumsdaine depicting Anne, Duchess of Westminster with the racehorses \u003cem\u003eLast Suspect\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eBallyross\u003c\/em\u003e provides independent evidence of Douglas-Hamilton's involvement with equestrian portraiture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished biographical accounts additionally record work undertaken for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExecuted when Douglas-Hamilton was approximately seventy, the present painting belongs to the mature later phase of her career and combines several subjects central to her artistic practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe died in 2019 aged 87.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCareys, Specialist Picture Framers \u0026amp; Mount Cutters\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA surviving printed trade label on the reverse records:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCareys\u003cbr\u003eSpecialist Picture Framers \u0026amp; Mount Cutters\u003cbr\u003e12 Castle Close\u003cbr\u003eWing\u003cbr\u003eLeighton Buzzard\u003cbr\u003eBeds. LU7 0TD\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrade-directory evidence independently records Careys as a picture-framing business at this address.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe label provides a useful physical record of the painting's framing or handling history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt has not presently been possible to establish when Careys handled the painting, and consequently the label cannot be used to date the frame specifically to 2002.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA further faint marking is present on the reverse of the canvas. This appears to represent a historic manufacturer's or supplier's mark but is not sufficiently legible for a confident transcription.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClaydon Auctioneers, Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire, \u003cem\u003eTwo Day Antiques, Collectables, Paintings \u0026amp; Prints Auction\u003c\/em\u003e, 18 August 2024, Lot 1688.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCatalogued as:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Diana Douglas Hamilton (1932-2019), Oil on canvas, A farm scene with a woman, sheep and horses \/ ponies. Signed and dated 2002 lower right.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAcquired from the above sale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSubsequently researched and curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExhibition History\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo documented exhibition history for this painting has presently been identified.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCanvas:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApproximately 59.7 cm high x 74.9 cm wide\u003cbr\u003e23.5 inches high x 29.5 inches wide\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFramed:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e66 cm high x 82 cm wide x 2 cm deep\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Report\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGood used condition consistent with age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painted surface remains generally well preserved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScattered minor age-related surface marks and localised surface irregularities are visible, including small raised or textured areas particularly noticeable within lighter passages and sections of the sky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMinor surface dirt and marks are consistent with age and previous display.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe decorative gilt frame displays general wear, including scuffs, scratches and other age-related marks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe reverse has normal signs of previous handling and age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo claim is made that the painting or frame has undergone conservation treatment unless specifically stated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease examine all photographs carefully as they form an integral part of the condition report.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorldwide shipping is available.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe painting will be professionally packed with appropriate consideration given to the oil-on-canvas support and decorative gilt frame. Insured delivery can be arranged according to destination.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCertificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe artwork will be supplied with a Certificate of Sale \u0026amp; Dealer Attribution issued by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®, recording the artwork’s catalogue details, attribution, provenance as stated, and details of the sale. This document accompanies the work as part of its ongoing ownership and provenance record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAttribution and Research\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe historical observations, provenance research, attribution analysis and contextual commentary presented within this catalogue entry represent the professional opinion of Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®. They are offered in good faith as informed scholarly assessments based upon the available evidence, comparative research, published reference material and our experience within the international fine art market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese observations should be understood as professional opinions rather than definitive statements of fact or guarantees of authorship, attribution, date, origin, provenance or historical interpretation. As with all historic works of art, future documentary discoveries, technical examination, conservation analysis or advances in academic research may refine, expand or revise current interpretations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpecialising in carefully curated British and European fine art, antiques and historic works of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery artwork is professionally researched and catalogued using comparative scholarship, published reference material and more than two decades of experience within the international fine art market. We are committed to offering collectors works of artistic and historical merit accompanied by transparent provenance research, detailed catalogue descriptions and professional, client-focused service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditional photographs and further information are available upon request.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45630620434685,"sku":"k1351","price":2950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0201\/2227\/1808\/files\/oil-painting-camilla-parker-bowles-wiltshire-farm-prized-sheep-horses-434485.jpg?v=1725814055","url":"https:\/\/cheshireantiquesconsultantltd.com\/products\/pastoral-majesty-oil-portrait-queen-camilla-at-wiltshire-farm-with-prized-animals","provider":"Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD","version":"1.0","type":"link"}