Rare oil by Seago discovered in Somerset

The oil on canvas, painted by Seago in 1953, following the Queen’s Coronation, has been discovered in Somerset and will be auctioned by Lawrences of Crewkerne. The owner was entirely unaware of the potential value of the canvas until Lawrences visited.

The painting depicts Piccadilly and the Ritz Hotel at Coronation time. It shows the bustle of traffic and pedestrians near the Ritz Hotel (on the left).

Seago was selected as an official artist for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth due to her fondness of for his work. Not only was one of Seago’s oils selected by HM The Queen as the most successful depiction of the Coronation procession but the artist himself made gifts of pictures twice a year to the Queen Mother up until his death in 1974.

Lawrences’ picture specialist, Richard Kay, finds this painting a fascinating example of Seago’s work. “His London views are relatively scarce, for Seago is better known for his coastal subjects and landscapes in East Anglia.

“This picture shows him accomplishing a complex scene with skill. With a keen eye for light combined with a fluent technique of great panache, he captures the sense of liveliness in a subject such as this through the use of attenuated figures and mere hints of form which suggest fleeting movement.”