A watercolour study of one of the char-à-bancs presented to Queen Victoria by Louis-Philippe, King of the French, with a horse and rider.

This work is a study for a watercolour scene (RCIN 920031) set in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle, with the Round Tower in the background, depicting an event which took place during the State Visit of Louis-Philippe to England. In October 1844, Louis-Philippe, King of the French, stayed at Windsor as the guest of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in a reciprocal visit following the British royal couple's sojurn at the Château d'Eu (Louis-Philippe's residence in Normandy) the previous year (see, for example, RCIN 919998). This was the first time a reigning French King had visited England since the fourteenth century. A number of events took place during Louis-Philippe's stay, including a State Banquet (RCIN 919790) and the King's investiture as a member of the Order of the Garter (RCIN 919793). Victoria and Albert also went on a number of excursions with their guest, who lived in England for some years during his exile at the beginning of the nineteenth century. On 10 October,  they visited Claremont, home of Victoria's uncle and Louis-Philippe's son-in-law Leopold, King of the Belgians, Hampton Court to look at the painting collection there and then also the house at Twickenham in which Louis-Philippe lived for nearly ten years. Victoria described in her journal that they "drove out in Char-à-bancs, the King & I, sitting in front, which reminded us so much of the time at Eu". Louis-Philippe had sent a char-à-bancs over to England as a present for the Queen after she admired the carriages in France.

Having already made a number of watercolour sketches for Victoria and Albert of the visit of the Emperor of Russia earlier in the year, Nash was again commissioned to record events from the visit of Louis-Philippe. Scenes of the State Banquet, the presentation of the two eldest royal children to Louis-Philippe (RCIN 919792) and Victoria and the French King entering St George's Hall for the Garter Banquet, held on 11 October (RCIN 919791), are in the Royal Collection along with the watercolour for which this is a study. A version of the finished watercolour was reproduced as a lithograph by Nash in his publication Views of the Interior and Exterior of Windsor Castle (1848), which he dedicated to the Queen. The introduction states: "On the various occasions when the Continental Sovereigns were entertained by Her Majesty at Windsor Castle, Mr Nash had the honour of receiving Her Majesty's commands to make Drawings of the scenes illustrative of the state and ceremony which distinguish the Royal hospitality". As well as such narrative scenes, Nash's publication also included illustrations of rooms and spaces within the Castle (see, for example, RCIN 919781).