Charles Stewart, Sixth Marquess of Londonderry, Carrying the Great Sword of State at the Coronation of King Edward VII, August, 1902, and Mr. W. C. Beaumont, His Page on That Occasion

Sargent's portrait of the Marquess of Londonderry carrying the Great Sword of State at the coronation of Edward VII in August 1902, with his page Beaumont, is an exceptional ceremonial commission that combines the grand portrait tradition with historical documentation. The coronation of Edward VII following Queen Victoria's death in 1901 was one of the most significant state occasions of the Edwardian era, and Sargent was the obvious choice to record a participant. Londonderry's role as bearer of the Great Sword was one of the hereditary ceremonial offices of the English nobility, and Sargent renders the pageantry with his characteristic ability to capture grandeur without pomposity. The Museum of Fine Arts Boston holds this significant ceremonial portrait.

Sargent renders the scarlet and gold of the ceremonial costume with bravura brushwork — the richness of the fabric conveyed through bold, confident strokes rather than laborious detail. The two figures are composed with a natural authority that animates what could have been a stiff ceremonial record. The sword provides a strong vertical compositional element that anchors the elaborate costume and setting.