Pietro Annigoni's portraits of Elizabeth II

Pietro Annigoni completed a number of portraits of Queen Elizabeth II between 1954 and 1972. In 1955 he painted her for the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers and in 1969 for the National Portrait Gallery. The two portraits were united for the National Portrait Gallery's exhibition; The Queen: Art and Image, held to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. In 1972, Annigoni completed a circular drawing of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to mark their silver wedding anniversary.

The 1955 portrait was popular with the public and liked by the Queen but criticised for its romantic treatment and for prioritising Elizabeth's role as the monarch over insights into her inner life. The 1969 portrait continued the theme of emphasising the royal role by placing Elizabeth against a featureless background that symbolised her sole responsibility as monarch. It was unpopular with the public.

The 1955 painting was commissioned by the City of London livery company, the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers. It was first displayed in 1955 and later loaned by the Fishmonger's Company in 1958 and 1986 before the National Portrait Gallery's 2012 exhibition. It is displayed at their livery hall, Fishmongers' Hall on London Bridge.

It is a full length portrait in tempera, oil and ink on paper on canvas. Wearing the robes of the Order of the Garter, Elizabeth stands in a pastoral landscape, inspired by a comment that she made to Annigoni of how much she liked to watch people and traffic from a window as a child. The National Portrait Gallery described the painting as showing Elizabeth "in a sylvan idyll yet outward looking and connected to her surroundings" and wrote that when first shown "it drew crowds said to be ten-deep with viewers fascinated by the portrait's idealised yet penetrating character". It was first displayed at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition and was shown alongside a recent portrait of Elizabeth by Simon Elwes.

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