‡Sir Cecil Beaton CBE (1904-1980) Portrait of Valentine Lamb aged eleven

‡Sir Cecil Beaton CBE (1904-1980)

Portrait of Valentine Lamb aged eleven, son of Henry Lamb

Signed

Oil on canvas

61 x 51cm

Literature:

Photobiography by Cecil Beaton 1951, illustrated photograph between pages 168-9 from which this portrait was subsequently produced, c.1960s

Exhibited:

Cecil Beaton at Home - Ashcombe and Reddish, Salisbury Museum 2014

Provenance:

Christie's, Cecil Beaton Sale, 21 June 1988, Lot 18

The Estate of Miss Eileen Hose, Beaton's secretary 1953-1980

Valentine Lamb (1939-2015) was the editor of the Irish Field and a highly respected figure on the Irish racing and bloodstock scene. Born at Coombe Bissett to the artist Henry Lamb and the writer Lady Pansy Pakenham he attended Salisbury Cathedral School and later King's Bruton School before being called up for National Service in the Air Force.

Sir Cecil Beaton writes in his book Photobiography that his 'most recent photos' are of plants and children. 'To try and document the fleeting moods of childhood has given me enormous pleasure: the nuances of expression are so much more varied than when an adult mask is worn. Children's faces have no secrets and their eyes are unguarded ...'