Frank Owen Salisbury (1874-1962) was primarily a painter of portraits as well as historical and ceremonial subjects. He studied art at Heatherley’s, one of London’s principal private schools of art, before entering the Royal Academy Schools at the age of 18. He attended the R.A. for five years, during which time he received numerous medals and prizes as well as the Landseer Scholarship, the funding he gained from which he used to further his artistic education in Italy.

From 1907 Salisbury became known for large compositions with his The Passing of Queen Eleanor, the success of which led to a commission for the mural The Trial of Queen Katherine of Aragon which was to the decorate the House of Lords. Salisbury’s interest in pageantry became characteristic of his work with his recording of such royal ceremonial events as the thanksgiving service of George V’s Silver Jubilee and the Coronation of George VI in 1937. Following the First World War he also painted numerous large scale commemorative scenes such as The Burial of the Unknown Soldier, 1920 (Palace of Westminster), and India’s Homage to the Fallen, 1923 (Defence Academy of the United Kingdom).

Salisbury is today known for his official portraits of public figures. During his career he established a distinguished clientele not only in Britain but also the United States. His sitters included five British prime ministers, five presidents of the United States and three archbishops of Canterbury as well as numerous military, ecclesiastical and aristocratic figures of early twentieth century society.

As a result of his strict religious upbringing Salisbury also favoured religious subject matter, frequently depicting biblical characters, such as Ezekiel, Moses and Isaiah, in his works.

Salisbury exhibited at the Royal Academy for the first time in 1899, continuing to do so until 1949, although he was never granted membership. He became a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in 1917 and the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours in 1921.

This painting is an interior scene depicting the entrance hall of the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was purchased by the museum from Sir Brian Batsford, chairman of Batsford publishing firm from 1952 to 1974 and MP for Ealing South from 1958 until it was abolished in the general election of 1974 . Batsford is better known as Brian Cook, the artist who created distinctive dust-jacket designs for the Batsford Books. The painting was sold to the V&A in 1984, having previously hung at Batsford’s home, Lamb House in Rye, the former residence of the novelist Henry James.