De Grey studied at Chelsea School of Art; early paintings show influences from the Euston Road School. As President of London’s Royal Academy, he remained a non-conformist, albeit one at the heart of the artistic establishment. Grey’s self portrait seems a picture of self-effacement (his countenance reduced to a pale reflection in the mirror) but his gentle beatific regard radiates. There is a grid pattern created by geometrical shapes, De Grey stating: ‘I would like to have been an abstract painter. Abstract painting fascinates me from the sheer imaginative invention of it.’ The mix of objects in sharp focus on the mantelpiece carries symbolic overtones. The heavy antique clock reminds us of time passing or mortal nature. The vessel with its possibly red-lacquered inside – and the fan behind suggesting a sail – suggests life as voyage.