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A three-quarter-length portrait of Queen Victoria, standing to left. She wears a white evening dress cut low to reveal her shoulders and the insignia of the Garter, with the Garter itself round her left arm. She has a white lace shawl, her arms are folded and she holds two red roses in her left hand. She wears a large brooch, similar to one given to her by Prince Albert as a wedding present. She is also shown wearing a locket around her neck containing the Prince's hair, given to her by the Queen of the Belgians. In her chignon she wears a small jewelled coronet, which was probably designed by Prince Albert. She stands against a grey background with sky, clouds, mountains and trees. The portrait is a copy of an early work that Queen Victoria commissioned from Winterhalter, with a pendant of Prince Albert, who wore a Field-Marshall's undress uniform with the star of the Garter and the badge of the Golden Fleece.
The German-born artist was primarily a fashionable portrait painter. He and his younger brother, Hermann, both trained as artists and Franz Xaver was patronised by royal and aristocratic families in many parts of Europe. In 1834 he moved to Paris, which became his principal home and where he was joined Hermann. The Queen of the Belgians introduced him to Queen Victoria and he visited her in England in May 1842. This established a routine which lasted until 1864, following the death of Prince Albert. Queen Victoria liked him and admired his work so much that he visited England in late spring and worked on commissions for her each summer.
Title
Queen Victoria (1819–1901)
Date
after 1842
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 142 x W 117 cm
Accession number
BHC3071
Work type
Painting
