Spacious lawns, a few fir trees, hills in the background and a castle in the middle – this is how a picture can be briefly described that is currently being auctioned at the British auction house Bonhams. Sounds unspectacular, looks like it, but two things are special about it: the castle – and the painter.
The castle is Balmoral Castle in Scotland. For decades it served as the summer residence of Queen Elizabeth II and was considered one of her favorite places to stay. Balmoral has become particularly important because the Queen spent the last days of her life there.
She died in the castle shown in the picture on September 8th at the age of 96. The picture was painted by her son Charles, the new king.
Charles III, as he has been known since the death of his mother, has real artistic talent and is a passionate painter. He particularly enjoys painting landscapes, dozens of which have already been exhibited.
But the 73-year-old remains humble: “I’m not under the illusion that my sketches represent great art or an emerging talent,” he says. The king paints more for relaxation anyway: “You become increasingly aware of things that you might have missed before – things like the quality of light and shadow, of tone and texture and the shape of buildings in relation to the landscape.”
There are a hundred prints of his picture of Balmoral Castle, one of which is now up for auction. It was painted by Charles in 2001 and according to the description on the auction house’s website is signed in ballpoint pen. It will find a new owner as part of The Scottish Home auction.
The attention is even greater than one would expect from a royal artwork anyway – for two reasons: the Queen’s death in the castle and Charles’ accession to the throne. “In my time as an auctioneer, I have never seen so many bids made before the auction,” Hamish Wilson of auction house Bonhams told CNN. “I think that speaks for itself.”
Sources: Bonhams / CNN / “t-online.de”
Watch the video: After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, many people are wondering how the British monarchy will continue. What does Charles’ new role as king look like? Will the monarchy be reformed? stern correspondent Dagmar Seeland classifies the situation in Great Britain.
