SOON after her marriage in 1858, Prince Albert wrote to his eldest daughter that: ‘We only rarely buy works of the Water Colour school for ourselves, but we have made presents to each other of the pictures. Thus the pleasure that we take in them is doubled.’ In fact, Victoria and Albert were both enthusiastic watercolour collectors, but they were also well aware of the need to avoid the conspicuous extravagance of the Queen’s uncle, George IV, in art collecting and architectural projects. Watercolours were an economical field in which to collect and, in the light of today’s knee-jerk criticism of monies proposed for work on Buckingham Palace, it is worth noting that, in their redecoration, the couple was scorned for cheese-paring.
Victoria had collected drawings since early girlhood, as it was a time when young ladies’ albums were very much the fashion. In 1834, as a princess, she visited the ‘Old’ Watercolour Society’s annual exhibition for the first time and, four years later, returned as Queen. Although she made a number of purchases on that occasion, she refused its petition to become a royal society, honouring it only in 1881. Echoing his wife, Prince Albert was a frequent buyer at both the ‘Old’ and the ‘New’ Societies—true to artistic tradition, there had been a split in 1832, which persists to this day —and, in 1854, Copley Fielding, president of the Old Society, regretted his inability to be present for a royal visit, as ‘Prince Albert never fails to make it agreeable to those who accompany him through the exhibition’.
この記事は Country Life UK の June 16, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Country Life UK の June 16, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
