DUKE OF WELLINGTON PORTRAIT

Contributed by: The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia by Steven Jay Rubin

A painting by Goya found in the living room of the underground fortress of Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) in the film of the same name. The real Duke of Wellington portrait was actually stolen from the National Gallery in London in August 1961, just six months prior to the start of principal photography on Dr. No. Hence Bond’s double take upon seeing the portrait in Dr. No’s lair. The Wellington’s appearance was suggested by director Terence Young’s script supervisor, Johanna Harwood, who received cocredit on the script with Richard Maibaum and Berkely Mather. Originally, the scene was going to feature a recently heisted Picasso.

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