The recent death of Picasso biographer Sir John Richardson[1] might mean a windfall for the British royal family[2].
Among all the paintings Picasso gave Richardson, he also had a Joshua Reynolds portrait of Frederick, Prince of Wales, who died in 1751 before he could become king. Frederick’s son became King George III.
A friend admired the painting several years ago at Richardson’s Union Square loft.
“John said the royal family doesn’t have a good portrait of that particular Prince of Wales, nor does the National Portrait Gallery, and John has letters from Queen Mary asking him to donate it to the royal collection. He refused because he loved it,” the friend told me.
Queen Mary, grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II[3], was a famous collector of artifacts and pictures with a royal connection, and wasn’t shy about asking owners to donate their treasures. Mary was married to King George V, a descendant of Frederick’s. And there’s another George in line to be king: Today’s Prince of Wales, Charles[4], has a 5-year-old grandson named George[5], the son of Prince William[6] and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton[7].
It’s possible Richardson, who was knighted in 2012, has bequeathed the painting to the royal collection in his will, which hasn’t been released yet. The 95-year-old died March 12 in Manhattan.
References
- ^ Picasso biographer Sir John Richardson (pagesix.com)
- ^ the British royal family (pagesix.com)
- ^ Queen Elizabeth II (pagesix.com)
- ^ Charles (pagesix.com)
- ^ George (pagesix.com)
- ^ Prince William (pagesix.com)
- ^ Kate Middleton (pagesix.com)