Politics

This Is the Painting the Royal Family Had to Hide Before the Obamas' Visit

April 29th 2016

Picture this: You’re British royalty, and the Obamas are coming over for dinner.

Michelle and Barack ObamaWikimedia Commons

There’s so much to do — ask about food allergies, iron those curtains, and oh yeah...

Take down the racist label affixed to that one massive painting hanging in the sitting room.

This is the exact dilemma one aide to the British royal family faced last week when President Obama and Michelle Obama visited Kensington Palace for a dinner hosted by Prince William and Duchess Kate.

Prince William and President ObamaKGC-375/STAR MAX/IPx

Prior to their visit last Friday, the assistant realized a massive oil painting in William and Kate’s sitting room bore the title ‘The Negro Page,’ etched onto a plaque attached to the artwork’s frame, according to The Sun.

"The Negro Page" paintingWikipedia

Duchess Kate reportedly chose The 1652 painting by Dutch artist Aelbert Cuyp from the Royal Collection.

Screenshot of Royal Collection website

Depicting an African servant guarding horses and dogs as his presumable masters carry a conversation nearby, the work is listed on the Royal Collection’s website under its more politically correct title, “A Page with Two Horses.”

While the painting remained, someone had to hastily remove the plaque with a screwdriver and cover up the discoloration on the artwork with a potted plant, according to The Sun.

It appears, however, that dinner went off without a hitch.

Whew, time for a drink.

[h/t Hyperallergic and The Sun]

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