£7,000 Bill for Portrait

The Speaker of the House of the House of Keys, Juan Watterson SHK, has said that to have had his portrait painted in his role as Speaker was ‘a hugely proud moment’

Every speaker receives a portrait, with Mr Watterson being the latest in a line that dates back to 1758.

Unveiled with artist Andrew Tift and his wife Anne, members of Tynwald and former speakers Steve Rodan OBE and Tony Brown OBE in attendance, Mr Watterson said it was ‘a privilege’ to have sat for the portrait.

Work on the portrait began in February 2020 and saw the artist take more than 500 photographs from which to work during lockdown.

Mr Watterson said: ‘I believe that to have come from a public sector housing background and then to go on to be elected by your peers twice to the position of Speaker of the House of Keys is testimony to the level of social mobility we enjoy in the Isle of Man.’ He said that the portrait not only reflected the tradition of the office of Speaker, which dated from 1758, but also celebrated the history and continuity of Tynwald.

‘He remarked on the skill with which Mr Tift had depicted the stained-glass windows in the House of Keys and the personal references chosen for inclusion in the carvings of the Speaker’s chair: ‘2016’ – the year he was first elected Speaker of the House of Keys, together with symbols of his enduring links with other organisations. In closing, he said that figures including British politician Anthony Wedgewood Benn, comedian Eric Sykes and a former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, had sat for Mr Tift who, when tasked with painting his portrait, ‘had to work miracles with some really dodgy material’.

Mr Tift was paid £6,800 for the portrait, including £6,500 in fees and £300 in expenses. A further £380 was spent on getting the portrait to the island.

Ahead of the unveiling, groups of art students from Ramsey Grammar School and Castle Rushen High School were given a conducted tour of the chambers that focused on portraits of former presiding officers. Head of art at Ramsey Grammar School Martin Harrison said: ‘The students are currently working on a self-portraiture project, so to be able to visit Tynwald, see so many portraits and meet such a celebrated artist was a unique opportunity for them.’

Given it is such a stunning portrait, we just hope no-one does anything inappropriate with it.