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Title:
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Prince Alfred with a Pony
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Artist: |
Baron Carlo Marochetti
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(Photo:
Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020)
RC IN 41613
Prince
Alfred in this group is probably between nine and ten years old. The idea of commissioning
a sculpture of one of her sons in highland costume may have been suggested to Queen
Victoria by Harriet Duchess of Sutherland, who held the position of Mistress of
the Queen's Robes whenever the Whigs were in power between 1837 and 1861. The
Duke and Duchess of Sutherland had commisioned portraits of two of their boys
in this costume from French sculptors. Parian Ware figures of 1852 by Albert
Carrier-Belleuse of two of their sons, one wearing Highland, the other medieval
costume, are in the Royal Collection. The composition of Marochetti's group,
however, is a bathetic echo of the Gallic Horseman, sculpted by Auguste
Préault for the Pont de Iena in Paris between 1849 and 1853. The proud posture
of the boy, one hand on hip, the other holding the animal's mane is extremely
close to Préault group, though there could hardly be a greater contrast between
the Prince's delicate figure and features and those of the muscular and hirsute
Gaul.
Marochetti's
correspondance relating to this group is from the late Summer and Autumn of 1854,
and shows concern over the quality of the bronze cast. Clearly more than one cast was made, although the intention was not to make a commercial edition
of it. The group was however taken up by the firm of Minton, for production in
Parian Ware in 1855, and an example was on their stand at the International Exhibition,
in London in 1862.
(see
P.Ward-Jackson, "A.-E. Carrier Belleuse, J.-J. Feuchère and the
Sutherlands", Burlington Magazine, March 1985, pp.146-153, and same
author, "French Modellers in the Potteries", in The Parian
Phenomenon, (ed. Paul Atterbury) Shepton Beauchamp, 1989, pp.48-56)
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Material(s): |
Bronze
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Medium: |
Unassigned |
Finish: |
- |
Technique: |
Cast |
Genre: |
Portrait statuette (Equestrian)
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Location: |
Osborne House (Isle of Wight) Royal Collection, , ,
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Colours: |
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Year: |
1854 |
Height: |
0.47 metres |
Width: |
0.49 metres |
Depth: |
0 metres |
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Key: |
5841 |
Acc. No.: |
5841 |
Col. No.: |
5841 |
Number of views: |
2506 |
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