Longleat House Competition 2009: Results
Pistols and Marmosets: a Competition about Portraits
Open to children aged 3-14yrs
WELL DONE to everyone who entered the 2009 Longleat House Portrait competition! Judging has now taken place, and a full list of the results are posted below…
The Competition
 Imagine if you could only have one photograph of yourself taken in your whole lifetime. How long would you need to decide what to wear, what else to include in your photograph and where to have it taken?
Everyone is now so used to having pictures of themselves, their family and their friends that they do not even bother to print all the images they take with their digital camera. Just think back to your last family holiday – how many family photos were taken?
Before cameras were invented, the nearest thing to having your photograph taken was to have your portrait painted (or perhaps drawn). This could only be afforded by the very wealthy, and often no more than one portrait of a particular person would have been painted in their life. Very careful decisions about what to wear and what else to include in the picture had to be made.
 The intention was often to make the status of the sitter (the person shown) obvious to all who saw the picture (in a way to boast about how rich, important and successful they were). Sitters might wear a lot of jewellery or sometimes they might choose to include something to show the most important office (job) they had held, or a view of the most important battle they had won. Often the settings (backgrounds) chosen were not real places or rooms but just interiors or views made up with the intention of expressing wealth.
The aim of the competition was to see if younger visitors, during their tour of Longleat House, could identify any ‘accessories’ in the portraits (there are quite a lot: everything from pet spaniels, coronets and swords to – pistols and marmosets) and note the different kinds of settings shown.
The next stage – for those who were feeling artistic – was to create a portrait of themselves carefully choosing clothing, objects and settings special to them, and sending us their artwork with a short description of what they had painted – and why. |
The Results
Lord Bath and a panel of three judges were very impressed by the care, imagination and artistic talent displayed in the entries, but after long consideration managed to pick out an overall winner to receive the top prize of a V.I.P. tour of the Safari Park for four, as well as ten runners-up, each receiving 2010 Longleat Passport tickets for 2 adults and 2 children.
Sadly it has only been possible to include a selection of the excellent and extraordinary entries within the display. The team of judges would like to compliment all entries however on their incredible and often thoughtful work. An exhibition of the winners' work and as many other entries as could be accommodated in the display case was held in Longleat House from Easter to the end of July 2010.
Here is the complete list of all our winners – well done to you all, and have fun enjoying your prizes!
Art Competiton
Winner: |
Kayleigh, aged 12, of Euxton, Lancashire |
| Runners-up: |
Alexandra, aged 10, of Grays, Essex
Bridie, aged 13, of Epworth, Doncaster
Bryony, aged 11, of West Parley, Dorset
Charlie, aged 4, of Skidby, East Yorkshire
Charlotte, aged 8, of Skidby, East Yorkshire
Charlotte, aged 14, of Wick, nr Bath
Georgina, aged 13, of Whitworth, Rochdale
Jared, aged 6, of Hook, Hampshire
Louise, aged 13, of Ilkley, West Yorkshire
Rebecca, aged 12, of Luton |
| Prize Draw Winners: |
(Each winning 2010 Longleat Passport tickets for 1 adult and 1 child)
Abigail, aged 9, of Swindon
Archie, aged 7, of Heytesbury School, Wiltshire
Chris, aged 14, of Bordon, Hampshire
Clara, aged 7, of Woodbury, nr Exeter
Grace, aged 10, of Shrewsbury
Hannah, aged 10, of Paignton
James, aged 11, of Bristol
Jess, aged 9, of Thorrington, Essex
Kiera, aged 8, of High Peak, Derbyshire
Nicole, aged 14, of Stretham, Cambridgeshire |
Special congratulations to Kayleigh, aged 12, from Euxton, Lancashire, who was awarded the top prize for this very thoughtful entry:
‘I chose to wear green clothes because it is the colour of nature, and I like to help nature stay the way that it is.
I put a pencil behind my ear because I love to write, draw and make up songs in my spare time.
I have a pair of binoculars because birdwatching is one of my favourite hobbies.
I also like reading, and that is why my bookshelf is in the picture.
There is a telescope in the background because I would love to become an astronomer when I leave school
– it is my life’s ambition.
The clouds on the bed represent that I like to daydream a lot
(which can be a bad thing, especially when I’m doing homework).
In the picture, my cat is asleep on my bed. She is getting old and loves to sleep and be stroked.’
Many congratulations, too, to our ten runners-up: here are just two of the excellent entries chosen –
Jared, 6, from Hook, Hampshire
‘I have drawn a fishing lake seting. I like reading as well. I have drawn a Mr Christmas book. I drew my Bear his name is Fred he comes everywhere with me. I drew my Newcastle top because I like football and my cousins bought it for me, when I visited them in Newcastle.’
Charlotte, 14, from Wick, nr Bath
‘In my painting I have tried to use the feeling of a gallery to make up my life …I have put in the instruments that I play (trumpet & violin), an artist’s palette, musical note, rainbow, several different views and the flag of England. To my right is chocolate and my family …and by my feet my springerlab Red – I tried to copy the idea of the dog at the feet of the owner.
With my image of my self I’m in my favourite dress, holding my I-pod and one of my favourite books (Twilight by Stephanie Meyer). I had aimed to try and make it look like the traditional holding of an orb & sceptre.’ |
Exploring the house 
