Man facing slightly to the left, portrait from the chest up wearing a white shirt with a dark blue/purple tie and a black blazer. On a bright background including yellow and blue patterened sidewards 'V' pointing towards left side; combined with a gold and white patterned background.

David Hannay, GCMG, CH, Hon. DLitt, MA (Oxon) (b 1935), studied at Winchester and New College, Oxford. After National Service in the Royal Irish Hussars, he joined HM Diplomatic Service, and was stationed in Tehran and Kabul, before joining European Community delegations and holding senior posts at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In the 1980s he was a minister at the British Embassy in Washington DC, and subsequently Ambassador and permanent representative to the European Community, before becoming British Ambassador at the United Nations. Lord Hannay was Pro-Chancellor 2001-06. In this portrait, his tie unravels to be rewoven into the decorative pattern behind him, taken from an illuminated manuscript in the University’s Mingana Collection. This reflects Lord Hannay’s interest in the Middle East.

Tom Phillips studied at the Camberwell School of Art in the 1960s following an English degree at Oxford. He won first prize at the John Moores Liverpool Exhibition in 1969 and had a major retrospective exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in 1989. He is also a writer, composer and stage designer, and was appointed CBE in 2002. One of Britain’s most prolific and accomplished portrait painters, his work including portraits of Dame Iris Murdoch can be seen in the National Portrait Gallery.

Notes:  Very small part of the frame is missing on the right side; between 0.5cm and 1cm.