Queen Victoria

Details

EDWARD ONSLOW FORD, R.A. (1852-1901)
Queen Victoria
unsigned, cast with partial motto of the Order of the Garter '...IT.QUI.MAL.Y' (to proper left truncation), inscribed 'V.R.I' (to spreading square socle)
bronze, dark greenish-brown patina
16 ½ in. (42 cm.) high, overall
Conceived 1898.

Provenance

Acquired 1982.

Special notice

Specified lots (sold and unsold) marked with a filled square ( ¦ ) not collected from Christie’s, 8 King Street, London SW1Y 6QT by 5.00pm on the day of the sale will, at our option, be removed to Crozier Park Royal (details below). Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite.If the lot is transferred to Crozier Park Royal, it will be available for collection from 12.00pm on the second business day following the sale.Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Crozier Park Royal. All collections from Crozier Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only.Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com.If the lot remains at Christie’s, 8 King Street, it will be available for collection on any working day (not weekends) from 9.00am to 5.00pm

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Adrian Hume-Sayer Director, Specialist

Lot Essay

A leading member of the New Sculpture movement, Onslow Ford was commissioned to produce a sculpture of Her Majesty Queen Victoria in 1898 to stand in Manchester. The last sculpture to depict the great monarch, it was originally planned to be sculpted in marble, however, the Queen herself is said to have suggested that the marble might not weather well in the smoky atmosphere of that great northern centre of industry. The portrait was ultimately cast in bronze but was not unveiled until after the queen's death in 1901. A study for the sculpture, in bust form, is in The Royal Collection, where it is recorded as 'intended only as a study, [it] was well received by Queen Victoria who commissioned several replicas.' and it would seem that this cast is taken from that model which stands today in St. George's Hall, Windsor Castle (RCIN 31615).

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