Badge

Physical description

Double cameo portrait of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort engraved in onyx. First Class Badge of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert; oval onyx cameo with profile portrait of Victoria and Albert, in silver frame mounted with pastes, diamonds, emeralds and rubies.

Place of Origin

Rome, Italy (cameo, made)
London, England (badge, made)

Date

ca. 1862-ca.1864 (made)

Artist/maker

Saulini, Tommaso, born 1793 - died 1864 (cameo, carver)
R & S Garrard (jeweller)

Materials and Techniques

Onyx cameo, with pastes, diamonds, rubies and emeralds, in silver and gold

Dimensions

Height: 8.8 cm, Width: 4.3 cm, Depth: 1.4 cm, Height: 3 cm cameo, Width: 2.5 cm cameo

Object history note

The badge took the design of the portrait heads from the medals by William Wyon for the Great Exhibition of 1851

From Ornament Gallery label text:
Double cameo portrait of Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort engraved in onyx in the workshop of Tommaso Saulini (1793-1864) after the Great Exhibition medals, by William Wyon; signed: T. SAULINI. Mounted in a frame with projecting panels in the Elizabethan style (see Case 13, Board D, no.2[M.81-1935]), surmounted by the imperial crown, set with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. The brilliant-cut diamonds in the frame replaced by pastes, of probably 1890-1900. The cameo ITALIAN (Rome): about 1862-64; the setting ENGLISH (London): about 1864, executed by R. & S. Garrard, the Crown Jewellers. The Royal Order of Victoria and Albert was instituted by the Queen on 10 February 1862, after the Prince Consort's death. Membership of the First Class was confined to female members of the English and Continental royal families.

Historical context note

The Royal Order was a personal tribute by Victoria to her husband Albert following his untimely death.

Descriptive line

First Class Badge of the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert with a cameo portrait of Victoria and Albert. Made by Garrard, ca. 1864, the cameo by Saulini.

Associated names

Wyon, William

Associated Events

Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations

Materials

Silver; Gold; Paste; Ruby; Emerald; Onyx; Diamonds

Subjects depicted

Portrait; Victoria, Queen; Albert Francis Augustus Charles Emmanuel (Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria of Great Britain,); Princes; Monarchs; Queens (people); Profiles; Monarchy; Empresses

Categories

Portraits; Royalty; Jewellery

Collection code

MET