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# 43574
Franz Xaver Winterhalter "Five children of Queen Victoria", two rediscovered watercolors, 1848/49
Price: 35000 EUR
(please note additional Austrian VAT (Value Added Tax) applies for transactions concluded within the European Union)
Dimensions:
group portrait: unframed: 16,7 x 21,8 cm /6,6 x 8,6 in; with mount: 26 x 31 cm /10,2 x 12,2 in; framed: 32 x 36,8 cm /12,6 x 14,5 in.
girl with a doll: unframed (image): 17,7 x 13,9 cm /7 x 5,4 in.; framed: 33 x 29,7 cm /13 x 11,7 cm
Found per chance in a private estate in county Surrey, England (the pre-owner inherited them from his late grandfather who in his turn acquired them shortly after WWII, at one of the castle inventory sales in that county), the two watercolors presented here (doubtlessly painted by the same hand!) remained unrecognized for many years - neither by the grandfather nor by his heir; a typical castle attic find! Our image nr.1 shows them still in their old original frames (recently reframed by us).
We are dealing here with two absolutely authentic, till today unknown for modern art historians works of the famous portraitist of European royalties and high aristocracy, German-born artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter (for comparison see our images nr.15-30).
Moreover, both watercolors show children of Queen Victoria of Great Britain!!
Let us describe each of these works separately:
1. Franz Xaver Winterhalter "Group portrait of five eldest children of Queen Victoria", 1848/49 (see our images nr.).
We see five little siblings who are none other than the eldest (all born before 1847) children of Queen Victoria of Great Britain!! Due to their visual age this watercolor (as we are absolutely sure!) was executed by Winterhalter either in 1848 or 1849.
We see (from left to right) 4-5-year-old Prince Alfred (b. 1844; see also our image nr.19 and CLICK HERE.), 7-8-year-old Prince Albert Edward (b. 1841; see also our images nr.20 and CLICK HERE), 2-3-year-old Princess Helena (b. 1846; see also our image nr. 21and CLICK HERE),
8-9-year-old Princess Victoria (b. 1840; see also our image nr.22 and CLICK HERE)
and 5-6-year-old Princess Alice (b. 1843; see also our image nr.23 and CLICK HERE).
2. Franz Xaver Winterhalter "Princess Helena, fifth-born child of Queen Victoria", 48/49 (see our images nr.).
As convincingly prove our comparison images nr.39-46 the depicted little girl with a doll is none other than one of the children on watercolor No. 1 - namely 2-3-year-old Princess Helena (1846-1923; again CLICK HERE).
The famous European portraitist Franz Xaver Winterhalter began his studies in 1818 (at the age of 13) at the Herdersche Kunstinstitut Freiburg (Baden). After 6 years of study he came to Munich Academy as pupil of Robert von Langer, simultenously studying portrait painting at the studio of the royal portraitist Joseph Karl Stieler (sic!) in Munich. From 1828 (sic!) he was the drawing teacher of Markgraefin of Baden Duchess Sophie; in 1830 he moved from Munich to Karlsruhe. After a long stay in Rome (1833/34) he was appointed Baden royal painter in Karlsruhe. Still in the same 1834 he moved to Paris, where he became the favorite painter of the Parisian high society. In 1841 he was called to the English court, in 1852 to the Spanish court, coming back to Paris to the court of Napoleon III. He became the painter of practically all European monarchs and their families as well as of most important personalities of the European high society.
Portraits of Winterhalter's early period are very similar to the ones of his teacher Stieler, what certainly lead to the modified inscription on the back of the painting. But for us the lightness of the painting compared to a certain severity of Stieler's works speaks at the time in favour of Winterhalter's authorship.
For extensive biography of F.-X. Winterhalter CLICK HERE.
Condition: fairly good; several dot-like foxings; originally matted and framed (recently reframed)
Creation Year: 1848/49
Measurements:UNFRAMED:0,0x0,0cm/0,0x0,0in
Object Type:Framed watercolor
Style: 19th century drawings
Technique: each watercolor on paper (larger one is mounted on upper edge onto old mount)
Inscription:
Creator: Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Creator Dates: 1805 Menzenschwand-1873 Frankfurt a.Main
Nationality:German
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