Queen Victoria (1819-1901) c.1850-55
Marble | 57.1 cm (excluding base/stand) | RCIN 2077
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A marble bust of Queen Victoria with her head slightly turned to the right and with her hair adorned with a wreath of oak leaves with an acorn, a thistle, a shamrock and a rose on each side. Across her low-necked dress she wears a sash. It is made in the neo-classical style which imitated the simplicity and purity of line of ancient sculpture combined with suggestive and evocative gestures that were devoid of emotion.
This marble bust of Queen Victoria was made by the Italian sculptor working in London Baron Carlo Marochetti. Of an aristocratic background, he was a well established artist working in Paris under the patronage of the French royal family, before he moved to London just before the outbreak of the French 1848 Revolution, which ended the rule of King Louis Philippe I. Once in London, Marochetti soon became one of Queen Victoria’s favourite sculptors.Provenance
This bust is probably that recorded in the Lower Corridor, Osborne House in 1876, given to Prince Albert by Queen Victoria on his birthday, 26th August 1855 [Victoria & Albert: Art & Love, London, 2010, pg 460]; delivered to Buckingham Palace in April 1903.
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Medium and techniques
Marble
Measurements
57.1 cm (excluding base/stand)
74.9 cm (including base/stand)