The Life & Work of Terence Cuneo (British 1907-1996)

Cuneo was the son of artist parents, Cyrus Cincinato Cuneo and Nell Marion Tenison, who met while studying with Whistler in Paris. Terence Cuneo studied at Sutton Valence School in Kent, Chelsea Polytechnic and the Slade School of Art and initially worked as a commercial artist for publications such as The Illustrated London News. During World War II he served as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers and was commissioned by the Foreign Office to produce anti-Nazi drawings and cartoons which were used as propaganda. He also completed illustrations of tank and aircraft factories for the War Artists Advisory Committee.

After the war, Cuneo became popular as a society portrait painter and in 1952 was commissioned to paint the visit of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to the Department of Engineering. It was his official painting of the Coronation of Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in 1953 which brought public recognition. He painted Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip several times in both formal and informal settings.

Cuneo became the pre-eminent military painter of his time fulfilling commissions for many varied Regiments of the British Army. He depicted conflicts through the ages ranging from the 17th Century to the Falklands War in 1982, often recreating famous battle scenes in his local Oxshott Woods using serving soldiers and real military hardware.

His signature moniker of a mouse became his trademark after 1956, and came from the tribute he painted to the little mouse his cat presented to him as a gift one day. This led to a series of humorous ‘mouse portraits’ where mice were personified as both historical and fictional characters.

Cuneo is perhaps best known for his locomotive paintings, he had a deep love of steam trains and often rode on the footplate and in the engine compartment whilst drawing and researching his subjects. His train paintings were turned into advertising posters for British Rail and were also used to advertise Hornby trainsets. In 1985 Royal Mail featured five of his train paintings on a special set of stamps entitled ‘Famous Trains’. Cuneo’s monumental 6 metre wide, 1967 painting of Waterloo Station hangs in the National Railway Museum in York.

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1987 and a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1994 Birthday Honours.

Sir William McAlpine and the Flying Scotsman

No. 4472 Flying Scotsman is an LNER Class A3 4-6-2 “Pacific” type steam locomotive built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of Nigel Gresley. In 1935 it set the world record for steam traction, becoming the first locomotive to reach the authenticated speed of 100 miles per hour.

Retired from service in 1963, the locomotive has been owned and preserved by Adam Pegler, Sir William McAlpine, Tony Marchington and, since 2004, the National Railway Museum. Sir William’s ownership of the locomotive was between 1973 and 1995. In 1973 he cleared the existing debts on the engine, purchased it for £25,000 and had it shipped back to England from San Francisco. In the following 23 years he paid for its restoration and two subsequent overhauls and in 1984 it became the first preserved steam locomotive to haul the Royal Train on the British mainline, taking The Queen Mother to the official opening of the North Woolwich Old Station Museum.

In December 1995, Cuneo painted this work of The Flying Scotsman half way on the Edinburgh to London line. This picture was licensed to Hornby Railways who used it on the cover of their 1993 catalogue.

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Auction Details

Wednesday 12 August, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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