A painting by Bermudian artist Graham Foster depicting the wrecking of the Sea Venture is hanging in Buckingham Palace as part of a new exhibition.

The painting — a small version of his portrayal of the Sea Venture in his famed Hall of History mural at the Commissioner’s House — is being displayed in the Royal Gifts exhibition until October.

Mr Foster was commissioned to paint the gift by the director of the National Museum of Bermuda, Ed Harris, when the mural, which was officially opened by the Queen in 2009, was nearing completion.

The big question for Mr Foster when he was thrown the gauntlet was: “What do you create for someone who seemingly has it all and oversees one of the greatest art collections in the world?”

After considering numerous ideas, he decided the best thing would be a souvenir of the mural that the Queen could take with her.

Mr Foster said: “One of the most iconic events in Bermuda’s history was the 1609 wreck of the Sea Venture.

“I knew the Queen liked dogs, so I placed a mastiff in one of the long boats.

“I almost painted a Corgi instead, but changed my mind as I doubt even a pack of Corgis could bring down a hog.”

The Queen and Prince Phillip were presented with the painting by Dr Harris during the mural unveiling and Mr Foster pointed out a few details such as the devils in the trees, the hogs and “denizens of the deep”.

He recalled meeting the Queen at the mural opening while she was taking in his work. “I met her at the bottom and the first thing she said was, ‘This must have driven you mad!’

“I replied that I’d left part of my sanity in the room.

“She was great, easy to talk to and didn’t bat an eyelid when I almost knocked her hat off with one of my sweeping hand gestures.”

Mr Foster often wondered where the painting ended up in the following years. Among his guesses were “a bathroom in Balmoral, the royal tat warehouse, row J or box 56 next to the Sultan of Qatar’s gold-plated coconut palm with the crystal coconuts”.

His painting The Wreck of the Sea Venture is hanging in the Americas section of the exhibition near a signed photo of JFK.

Then in March, he received an e-mail from the curator of the summer state exhibition for Buckingham Palace Sally Goodsir, informing him that the painting had been chosen for the Royal Gifts exhibition.

It was also included in the book detailing the show which reads: “Throughout her reign, Queen Elizabeth II has been presented with a variety of gifts of cultural and historical value and significance.

“Royal Gifts presents a selection of these objects, displaying a spectacular array of craftsmanship from over 100 countries across the globe.”