The National Portrait Gallery is the home of the most extensive collection of portraits anywhere in the world, featuring over 220,000 works! The portraits come from as far back as the 8th century right up to the present day.Amongst their many portraits on display, the Gallery features a Stained Glass self-portrait by Pauline Boty (1938-1966), an artist and actress. The work is believed to be from 1958 when Boty was enrolled as a Stained Glass student at the Royal College of Art. This is the only Stained Glass portrait currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery.
The Stained Glass Display Company were asked to produce this custom lightbox frame system which would securely house this beautiful portrait and to display it to the public. While the Gallery is full of an eclectic collection of portraits, this is one of the most striking examples.
The Stained Glass itself features many techniques associated with the stained glass department of the Royal College of Art from that time. This includes deep flashed aciding, fine glass painting and layering. The leading of the glass is also somewhat experimental with leads actually segmenting the portrait’s face.
It’s a beautiful Stained Glass panel and the frame really helps it to stand out amongst the other portraits in the Gallery. The glow from the lighting is really stunning, it captures your attention from the moment you enter the room.
With most of our systems, once the installation is complete, you never notice the frames or mounts.
Visit the National Portrait Gallery website here