Empress Friedrich, German Empress and Queen of Prussia (1840-1901)
The Field of Battle dated March 1855
Watercolour and bodycolour | 27.0 x 49.5 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 981393
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A watercolour showing a British Soldier dying in the arms of a weeping woman. The woman is shown kneeling and supporting the shoulders of the Grenadier Guard. She is bowed over in grief with her face buried in one hand. The soldier is shown wearing a uniform greatcoat with his rifle and bearskin shown discarded on the ground beside him. A battlefield is shown behind, with hills and a sea coast shown in the background against a setting sky. Inscribed below: Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa Princess Royal March 1855
In 1855 an exhibition and auction of amateur art was held in London to raise money for the Patriotic Fund, a fund for dependents of those fighting in the Crimea. Queen Victoria’s five eldest children all contributed works, including the original watercolour of The Field of Battle by the Princess Royal, which was said to be the ‘by far the best drawing in the room’ by the Illustrated London News and sold for 250 guineas. It was reproduced as colour lithographs which were sold for one guinea each, with the proceeds also going to the Patriotic Fund.Provenance
Purchased 1991
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Medium and techniques
Watercolour and bodycolour
Measurements
27.0 x 49.5 cm (sheet of paper)
