Queen Elizabeth II
1 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II
Photograph © National Portrait Gallery, London
Queen Elizabeth II
by Franta Belsky
bronze head, 1981
13 1/4 in. (337 mm) high
Commissioned, 1982
Primary Collection
NPG 5472
Sitterback to top
- Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), Reigned 1952-2022. Sitter associated with 972 portraits.
Artistback to top
- Franta Belsky (1921-2000), Sculptor. Artist or producer of 5 portraits, Sitter in 10 portraits.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Gittings, Clare, Portraits of Queen Elizabeth I: An Educational Resource Pack, 2003
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 202
Events of 1981back to top
Current affairs
Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral. A crowd of 600,000 spectators filled the streets to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple, and 750 million viewers watched the event on television. The iconic moment came when Charles and Diana appeased the crowds by breaking royal protocol and kissing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.Art and science
Andrew Lloyd-Webber's musical Cats, based on T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, opens in the West End. The show ran for 21 years.Brideshead Revisited, the 1945 novel by Evelyn Waugh, is adapted for television by John Mortimer. The lavish production featured an all-star cast of Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrews, Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom and John Gielgud, setting the bar high for future TV costume dramas.
International
Pope John Paul II is shot by a Turkish gunman in St Peter's Square in Rome. John Paul was rushed to hospital where he recovered, and Mehmet Ali Agca was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment.HIV AIDS is identified in five men in Los Angeles.
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.