Death of portrait painter Margaret Boden, 89.
Michael Rhodes
was a portrait painter, the wife and artistic collaborator of Leonard
Boden, often described as Queen Elizabeth II's favourite portrait
painter.
Leonard Boden painted 10 portraits of the Queen, and after some 70
sittings, came to know her well. His quiet humour and talent for
storytelling ensured that her expression remained amused and alert.
They would talk about dogs and horses, music and art.
"I have tried to show the Queen," Boden said of his second portrait in
1958, "just as I saw her, dignified and regal - because, of course,
she is. But, just as important, a very feminine woman - perceptive,
sensitive and with a lively sense of humour."
In many of the sittings, Boden was accompanied by his wife. It did not
escape the Queen's notice that when her staff entered Boden's studio
at the Palace, Margaret Boden was often at work on the canvasses. But
although many of Boden's works resulted from a team effort, Margaret
Boden never received any public recognition.
Boden's other sitters included Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales, the
Duchess of Kent and Mrs Thatcher while she was Prime Minister.
In 1957, despite being a Scottish Presbyterian, Boden also had the
rare opportunity of painting a reigning Pope from life. He painted
Pope Pius XII after 14 sittings at the Vatican and Castelgandolfo, the
Pope's summer palace. They were the only sittings that Pius XII
allowed during his 19-year pontificate.
Boden's portrait of the Pope, commissioned by Charles Forte, was
originally intended for the Italian Church in Clerkenwell, London, but
the Pope liked it so much ("splendid" was his verdict) that it was
presented to him to be hung in the Vatican.
Boden later complimented the Pope on having been "an excellent sitter
- most relaxed, and a most interesting conversationalist". (They spoke
in English.) He added: "We did not discuss religion".
Margaret Tulloch married Leonard Boden in 1937; they had a daughter
Daphne Boden, a harpist of international repute, who played for the
Queen at her request during several sittings.
The funeral service takes place at Golders Green Crematorium, on
Friday January 4, 2002, at 3.45 p.m.
...Michael Rhodes.