A Christmas Robin

Morgan Warren offered Her Majesty a special birthday present, in recognition of Her patronage of the Save the Children Fund of Canada.

Her plan was to render in watercolour, on the print A Christmas Robin, Balmoral Castle as it had looked during the Queen's early summers spent there. However, the small simple remarque grew to span a large portion of the margin as can be seen below:

Close-up of Remarque on "A Christmas Robin" by M. Morgan Warren for HM Queen Elizabeth II showing Balmoral Castle with Mt. Lochnagar as backdrop, British Robin in the foreground.
(A Remarque is a small original image either drawn or painted on a print, usually in the margin.)

A Christmas Legend

Two thousand years ago
A king was crowned
With mockery and scorn;
On that day
A bird flew down
And plucked a thorn
From His noble brow
To try and ease the pain,
Staining sombre plumes
With royal blood:
Today, with breast aglow-
Badge of a selfless deed-
The blesséd robin
Heralds Christmastide.

--M. Morgan Warren

"A Christmas Robin"