Portrait of Queen Victoria
Painting
c. 1857-61
c. 1857-61
| Artist/Maker |
This is a replica of the famous portrait of the young Queen Victoria painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter in 1842 (today at Windsor Castle). It was one of the most popular images of Victoria and numerous replicas were produced, some by Winterhalter and his studio and others by different artists. This painting follows a second version of the portrait, commissioned from Winterhalter and presented as an official gift to King Louis-Philippe of France in 1843 (it remains in the collection of the Château of Versailles). In this version, Victoria is shown wearing a diamond and sapphire encrusted coronet designed by Prince Albert in their wedding year (on display in the adjacent gallery) as well as the Order of the Garter.
Object details
| Object type | |
| Title | Portrait of Queen Victoria |
| Materials and techniques | oil on canvas |
| Brief description | Oil painting, unknown artist, after Franz Xaver Winterhalter, Portrait of Queen Victoria, c. 1857-61, England |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Lent in honour of Richard Edgcumbe, Senior Curator of the William & Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery 2008-2021 |
| Object history | The old framer's label on the back of the frame ('Richard Foster Norton, 83 Collins St. East, Melbourne') suggests that the portrait may have been painted in Australia after another copy of Victoria that arrived at the Government House in Melbourne in the mid 1850s. It is possible that the portrait was painted by the Russian-born artist Nicholas Chevalier (1828-1902), one of the few people capable of producing a copy of this quality in Melbourne at this time. However, it has been suggested that the painting was made in Britain and was later delivered to Australia, which may account for the Australian frame. Further research is needed to confirm either hypothesis. |
| Summary | This is a replica of the famous portrait of the young Queen Victoria painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter in 1842 (today at Windsor Castle). It was one of the most popular images of Victoria and numerous replicas were produced, some by Winterhalter and his studio and others by different artists. This painting follows a second version of the portrait, commissioned from Winterhalter and presented as an official gift to King Louis-Philippe of France in 1843 (it remains in the collection of the Château of Versailles). In this version, Victoria is shown wearing a diamond and sapphire encrusted coronet designed by Prince Albert in their wedding year (on display in the adjacent gallery) as well as the Order of the Garter. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | For further information about the framemaker Richard Foster Norton, see:
Holly McGowan-Jackson and Jessica Lehmann, 'Framers in Focus: Richard Foster Norton', 26 July 2021. https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/framers-in-focus-richard-foster-norton/
Hilary Maddocks, ‘Picture Framemakers in Melbourne c.1860-1930’, Melbourne Journal of Technical Studies in Art: Frames, The University of Melbourne, 1999, pp. 1-32. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:PDP ANON.1-2021 |
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| Record created | January 12, 2021 |
| Record URL |
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