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拍品专文
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg Gotha (1786-1861), the recipient of these bracelets, was twice married: her first husband, whom she married in 1803, was Emich Charles, 2nd Prince of Leiningen (1763-1814). Their first child was Charles (1804-1856), who succeeded his father in 1814 as 3rd Prince of Leiningen, and who married Mary, Countess of Klebelsberg in 1829. Their two children were Ernest (1830-1904) who married Mary, Princess of Baden, and Edward (1833-1914 who remained unmarried. Victoria and Emich's second child, Feodora (1807-1872) married Ernest, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg in 1828 and had six children: Charles (1829-1907) who renounced his title of 5th Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg in favour of his morganatic marriage in 1861 to a commoner, Maria Gratwohl; Elise (1830-1851) who died of consumption in Venice; Hermann (1832-1913) who married in 1862 Princess Leopoldine of Baden, having succeeded his brother as 6th Prince in 1861; Victor (1833-1891) who married in 1861 Laura Seymour, Countess of Gleichen; Adelaide (1835-1900) who married Frederick, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, in 1856; Feodore (1839-1872) married George II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen in 1858, as his second wife
After the death of 2nd Prince of Leiningen in 1814, Victoria married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1767-1820), 4th son of King George III in 1818. They had one child, Princess Alexandrina Victoria, born in 1819 and succeeded to the throne in 1837 as Queen Victoria. In 1840, she married Prince Francis Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony (later HRH Prince Albert) and they had nine children, six of whom are portrayed in the bracelet: Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901) who married Frederick III, Emperor of Germany, their son being Wilhelm II; Albert, Prince of Wales(1841-1910), later King Edward VII, who married Alexandra of Denmark; Alice Maud (1843-1878) who married Louis of Hesse; Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (1844-1900) married Marie of Russia; Helena Augusta (1846-1923) who married Christian of Schleswig-Holstein; and Louise Caroline (1848-1939) who married John, Marquis of Lorne, later Duke of Argyll.
The portraits of Queen Victoria's last two children, Helena and Louise, who were born in December 1846 and 1848 respectively, were added after the 17th August 1846 presentation, as the inscription on the reverse explains. It is conceivable that they replaced miniatures of the Queen and Prince Albert, since there is no evidence to suggest that the bracelet was lengthened at a later date to accomodate them.
Because of the nature of the collet settings, it has not been possible to ascertain if any of the miniatures is signed. However, two artists closely associated with such fine Royal portraiture readily suggest themselves. The first, Sir William Charles Ross, R.A (1794-1860), was appointed Miniature Painter to teh Queen in 1837. He began painting members of the British royal family in 1836 when the Queen's uncle, the Duke of Cambridge, sat to him and in November of the following year, Ross painted Queen Victoria herself. For Christmas 1837, the Duchess of Kent gave a bracelet containing a miniature of herself painted by Ross to her daughter, which the Queen felt was a very good likeness (Windsor, Royal Archives, Queen Victoria's Journal, 24 December 1837). Many important commissions followed, both of British and European Royalty; indeed three of the portraits in these bracelets, namely Elise and Adelaide Hohenlohe and the Pronces Royal, are after originals by Ross, still in the Royal Collection.
The second strong contender as artists is Gugliemo Faija (1803-after 1861)who often worked for Ross. Faija was particularily noted for his skills in producing miniatures based on larger scale portraits. Miniatures of both the Meiningenn and Hohenlohe children are recorded as havng been painted by Faija.
(Sitters featured in the two bracelets are in bold)
After the death of 2nd Prince of Leiningen in 1814, Victoria married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (1767-1820), 4th son of King George III in 1818. They had one child, Princess Alexandrina Victoria, born in 1819 and succeeded to the throne in 1837 as Queen Victoria. In 1840, she married Prince Francis Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Saxony (later HRH Prince Albert) and they had nine children, six of whom are portrayed in the bracelet: Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901) who married Frederick III, Emperor of Germany, their son being Wilhelm II; Albert, Prince of Wales(1841-1910), later King Edward VII, who married Alexandra of Denmark; Alice Maud (1843-1878) who married Louis of Hesse; Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (1844-1900) married Marie of Russia; Helena Augusta (1846-1923) who married Christian of Schleswig-Holstein; and Louise Caroline (1848-1939) who married John, Marquis of Lorne, later Duke of Argyll.
The portraits of Queen Victoria's last two children, Helena and Louise, who were born in December 1846 and 1848 respectively, were added after the 17th August 1846 presentation, as the inscription on the reverse explains. It is conceivable that they replaced miniatures of the Queen and Prince Albert, since there is no evidence to suggest that the bracelet was lengthened at a later date to accomodate them.
Because of the nature of the collet settings, it has not been possible to ascertain if any of the miniatures is signed. However, two artists closely associated with such fine Royal portraiture readily suggest themselves. The first, Sir William Charles Ross, R.A (1794-1860), was appointed Miniature Painter to teh Queen in 1837. He began painting members of the British royal family in 1836 when the Queen's uncle, the Duke of Cambridge, sat to him and in November of the following year, Ross painted Queen Victoria herself. For Christmas 1837, the Duchess of Kent gave a bracelet containing a miniature of herself painted by Ross to her daughter, which the Queen felt was a very good likeness (Windsor, Royal Archives, Queen Victoria's Journal, 24 December 1837). Many important commissions followed, both of British and European Royalty; indeed three of the portraits in these bracelets, namely Elise and Adelaide Hohenlohe and the Pronces Royal, are after originals by Ross, still in the Royal Collection.
The second strong contender as artists is Gugliemo Faija (1803-after 1861)who often worked for Ross. Faija was particularily noted for his skills in producing miniatures based on larger scale portraits. Miniatures of both the Meiningenn and Hohenlohe children are recorded as havng been painted by Faija.
(Sitters featured in the two bracelets are in bold)