Description

Title: Huge Oil Portrait of British Diplomat Sir Leslie Fielding KCMG C1974 Framed

Description:
Huge 1974 Portrait of British Diplomat Sir Leslie Fielding KCMG – Original Oil Painting by M Gove Knox

Subject & Medium
Large, original oil on canvas portrait of Sir Leslie Fielding KCMG (29 July 1932 – 4 March 2021), shown three-quarter length in full Scottish Highland dress with kilt, sporran and tartan fly-plaid, set against a dramatic landscape with a distant castle.

Composition & Technique ?
Fielding is depicted in profile in a commanding stance, hands resting at his sides. Bold, expressive brushwork shapes the features of his face and the folds of the tartan, while the soft, atmospheric sky and castle create depth and mood. The rich green and blue tartan, silver plaid brooch, lace jabot and cuffs are painted with confident control of light and texture. A small blue-and-gold heraldic-style shield at the lower right adds an emblematic flourish to the composition.
Highland Dress & Insignia
Fielding is portrayed in full formal Scottish Highland dress – dark jacket and waistcoat, lace jabot and cuffs, and a green and blue clan tartan kilt and fly-plaid, fastened at the shoulder with a large silver plaid brooch and completed by an impressive sporran. This costume underlines his Scottish family roots (his mother was of the Scottish Calder line) and gives the portrait a romantic, almost chieftain-like presence. At the lower right the artist paints a small blue-and-gold heraldic-style shield with a stylised crest, further emphasising the sitter’s status, although this appears to be a decorative device rather than a recorded coat of arms.

About the Sitter
Sir Leslie Fielding KCMG (29 July 1932 – 4 March 2021) was a leading British diplomat, European civil servant and academic.
Born to Percy Fielding and Margaret Calder, he was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, where he studied Persian. After university he joined the British Diplomatic Service, serving for around seven years in the Foreign Office in London and on overseas postings in Tehran, Singapore, Phnom Penh and Paris during the 1960s and early 1970s.
In 1973 he moved to the European Commission, marking the start of the European phase of his career. He was appointed European Commission Ambassador to Tokyo (1978–1982) and then became Director-General for External Relations (1982–1987), one of the Commission’s most senior posts at a time of rapid change in Europe and the wider world.
After Brussels he returned to the UK as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex (1987–1992), modernising and promoting the university on the national and international stage. He was knighted KCMG in 1988 for his services to diplomacy and Europe. Beyond public service he was a non-executive director of IBM (Europe), a special adviser to Panasonic, a patron of the Society of King Charles the Martyr, and the author of several books on diplomacy, European affairs and Cambodia, together with works of fiction and memoir.
Sir Leslie died on 4 March 2021 after a short illness. A printed biography summarising his life and publications is attached to the reverse of the canvas and accompanies the painting.

?Historical Context
Dated 1974, this portrait belongs to the years just after the UK entered the European Communities and shortly before Fielding’s appointment as European Commission Ambassador to Tokyo. The use of full Highland dress, castle backdrop and heraldic-style shield blends modern European diplomacy with the historic visual language of Scottish clan chiefs. It captures Fielding in his early forties, at a moment when his European career was gathering pace, while asserting his Scottish family heritage through his mother’s Calder line.

About the Artist
M. Gove Knox is a 20th-century British artist known from auction records for his large, atmospheric portraits of Sir Leslie Fielding, often in Highland dress. His style combines a strong, modern palette with expressive handling of paint and a distinctive interpretation of traditional formal portraiture. Examples of his works have appeared on the international art market and are recorded in major auction databases, giving this painting a documented market presence.

Signed
The painting is signed “M. Gove Knox” and dated 1974. An additional Latin inscription, “ANN ER S.V. XL II”, appears to the front, together with the small blue-and-gold heraldic-style shield painted at lower right.

Framed
Presented in its original gilt frame with moulded decorative edge. The frame suits the scale and style of the work and enhances its stately, country-house character. A hanging wire is fitted to the back, so it is ready to go straight on the wall.

Dimensions Framed :
Height: 143 cm
Width: 100 cm
Depth: 5 cm
A truly impressive large-scale portrait with major wall presence.

Provenance
From a private collection.
A printed biography of Sir Leslie Fielding is attached to the reverse of the canvas and will be included with the painting.
The work corresponds to catalogued auction and dealer listings for this 1974 Highland-dress portrait of Sir Leslie Fielding by M. Gove Knox.
Given the large scale, formal character and highly personal subject, it was very probably commissioned directly by Sir Leslie Fielding himself, although no original commission paperwork survives and this cannot be guaranteed.
(No earlier ownership inscriptions or gallery labels are present on the stretcher; provenance is stated as currently documented.)

Why You’ll Love It
A huge, statement portrait that instantly transforms a room – perfect for a study, library, hallway, club or executive office.
Combines rich historical interest – the life and career of a major British diplomat and university vice-chancellor – with the romance of Scottish clan dress, tartan and a castle landscape.
Expressive brushwork, strong composition and deep, saturated colour make it both highly decorative and a serious, characterful portrait.
Ideal for collectors of diplomatic history, Scottish and Highland interest, university history or distinctive British portraiture.

Condition �
The painting is offered in fine used condition. The canvas surface is generally good, with some foxing and light staining in places, together with age-related craquelure and a few small areas of paint loss. The reverse shows typical age marks and foxing.
The original gilt frame has wear, scuffs, cracking, chips and small losses, all consistent with age and use, but it still presents very well and remains highly decorative on the wall. Please refer to the photographs, which form part of the description, and feel free to request additional images.

Reserve: $5,400.00

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Condition

Used

Buyer's Premium

20%

Huge Oil Portrait of British Diplomat Sir Leslie Fielding KCMG C1974 Framed

Name: Huge Oil Portrait of British Diplomat Sir Leslie Fielding KCMG C1974 Framed
SKU: 226649426
Price: 2600 USD
Availability: InStock