New Richard III painting revealed at Bosworth

A new painting of Richard III is being unveiled at the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre.

The picture, by Berkshire artist and historian Graham Turner, depicts Richard on the eve of the battle.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

Hopefully my painting will be the first that shows him as he was.”

Graham Turner Artist

Richard died at Bosworth in 1485 at the hands of forces fighting for Henry Tudor, the future Henry VII.

While the painting was started before the discovery of Richard's grave in a Leicester car park, Mr Turner said the discovery helped him to finish it.
'Shows him as he was'
He said: "Like quite a lot of other people in the world, I was on tenterhooks waiting for the news from the DNA tests.

"When they discovered the skeleton was Richard's and did the facial reconstruction, I was able to incorporate all that new information into the painting."

As a result, Mr Turner claimed the painting was one of the first "lifelike" depictions of the king.

Mr Turner, who has been a historical artist for 30 years, said he had painted Richard III several times before.

However, his previous works were based on copies of portraits done during the king's lifetime.

"These copies are the only paintings of Richard believed to exist," he said. "The facial reconstruction is remarkably close to these portraits but there are still small differences.

"Hopefully my painting will be the first that shows him as he was."

The new visitor centre is due to open in 2014 and it is hoped it will bring 100,000 people and £4.5m into Leicester in its first year.

A temporary exhibition at the nearby Guildhall has attracted almost 80,000 visitors since opening in February.

A replica of the king's head is currently on a nationwide tour but will become part of a permanent exhibition called Richard III: Dynasty, Death and Discovery at the proposed museum.