Herbert Arnould Olivier, R.I. (9 September 1861 – 2 March 1952), was a British artist, best known for his portrait and landscape paintings.
The painting was originally intended for a church in Italy but it was put in such a bad light that he refused to leave it there.
Also in the museum's collection is a doodle that British Prime Minister David Lloyd George made on a blotter at Versailles, which Olivier retrieved from the negotiating table.
He may have been the H. A. Olivier whose work was reproduced in 20 colour plates for The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Historical and Descriptive, Cassell & Co. Ltd, London, 1908.
He gave his painting, Lord Selborne and Bishop Gore-Browne to the Athenaeum Club in 1937 where it remains prominently displayed in the Morning Room opposite Darwin.