Artwork
Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee is a print by Styan. It dates from 2012 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
The print is in black and white, featuring a woman wearing a hat and coat, sitting in a car with her hands clasped together.
The image depicts a print titled "Diamond Jubilee" by Styan, created in 2012. The print is in black and white, featuring a woman wearing a hat and coat, sitting in a car with her hands clasped together. The background of the print is dark, with a window visible behind the woman.
The print appears to be a commemorative piece, possibly celebrating a significant event or anniversary. The woman's attire and the car suggest a formal occasion.
The print is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection, showcasing Styan's work in the medium of print.
Overview
Diamond Jubilee is a 2012 screenprint by artist Styan, created to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th year on the throne. Rendered in monochrome, the work presents the monarch seated in a vehicle, her hands folded, framed by a car window against a deep background. A fingerprint dominates the rear plane, while a camera lens appears in the foreground, introducing layered commentary on visibility and surveillance.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait captures the Queen in a moment of public ritual, her posture formal and composed. The fingerprint, large and intrusive, suggests the imprint of institutional power or collective memory, while the camera implies media scrutiny. Together, these elements transform a ceremonial gesture into an examination of how monarchy is observed, recorded, and mediated in contemporary society.
Technique & Style
Styan employed screenprinting to achieve sharp contrasts and flat tonal fields, emphasizing the graphic quality of the image. The black-and-white palette heightens the sense of timelessness and formality. The composition is deliberately staged: the Queen is centered, the fingerprint oversized and slightly blurred, and the camera lens sharply defined, creating visual tension between presence and observation.
History & Provenance
Produced in 2012 as part of a limited series, the print is signed, titled, and numbered by the artist. It entered the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum shortly after its creation, where it is held as an example of contemporary British printmaking engaged with national symbolism and public image.
Context
The work responds to the public celebrations surrounding the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, a moment of national reflection on the monarchy’s role in modern Britain. Rather than offering tribute, Styan’s print interrogates the mechanisms of representation—how the royal figure is framed by technology, institutional presence, and collective gaze during ceremonial events.
Legacy
Diamond Jubilee contributes to a broader tradition of British artists using print to critique power and visibility. Its inclusion in the V&A underscores its significance as a document of early 21st-century visual culture, where traditional iconography is re-examined through the lens of surveillance, media, and identity.
Artist & collection
Artist
Styan is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:Andy Styan, British fell runner Frederick William Styan (1858–1934), English tea merchant Harold Styan O.B.E. (1895–1982), English gymnast, physical culturist,…
