Three quarter length standing portrait, the subject facing the viewer directly, with a lake with ducks at Scott's wildlife estate at Slimbridge in the background. He is wearing Chancellor's robes which are black with a gold trim over his dark suit and blue tie, and holds a mortar board in his hands.

Sir Peter Scott (1909-1989) was a noted ornithologist, artist and sportsman. He was the son of the Antarctic explorer and British Royal Naval Officer, Sir Robert Falcon Scott, and after beginning to read Natural Sciences, he graduated in the History of Art from Trinity College in Camridge in 1931. He became a household name between the 50s and 80s with his BBC TV series 'Look'. He was Chancellor of Birmingham University between 1973 and 1983. The artist, Clifton Pugh, was an Australian artist and a devoted environmentalist. The painting was commissioned by the University of Birmingham in 1976.