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Victoria, Princess Royal (as a child): C.1007A-1928

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Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Victoria, Princess Royal (as a child)

Maker(s)

Production: Unidentified factory

Entities

Categories

Description

White earthenware figure, press moulded and pearlware glazed. Painted underglaze in cobalt-blue, and with black, brown, green, orange, deep pink and flesh-pink enamels.

The child Princess is perched on a high backed arm-chair, her right arm resting on the chair arm and her left at her waist. The sides of the chair form the base. The figure is well coloured. The Princess wears: a blue scoop necked shirt; a kilt of brown, black and white tartan; brown and white ankle-length pantalettes; white socks; and black shoes. Her hair is mid brown, and her eyes, brows and lips finely painted. The chair has a deep-pink back-cushion. A chocolate brown line runs up the front sides and around the back of the chair, on top of which is a small moulded crown. The underside is arched and glazed, with a small vent hole. The back and sides are flat and undecorated.

Notes

History note: Mr Frost at Hitchin. Bought on 28 Nov 1908, for 10/- (ten shillings) the pair, with C.1007B, The Prince of Wales, by Dr Glaisher, Trinity College, who notes: ‘ Mr Frost seems to get his things in bulk from people who travel over the West of England, Wales, etc, so that things purchased from him are not likely to have come from the neighbourhood’.

Legal notes

Dr J.W.L.Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Depth: 6.3 cm
Depth: 2.5 in
Height: 12.5 cm
Height: 5 in
Width: 7 cm
Width: 2.75 in

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1928) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

19th Century, Mid#
Victorian
Production date: circa AD 1845

Note

Rackham (1935) lists this figure as of a type made chiefly by Sampson Smith at Longton, a factory listed in contemporary directories as a ‘manufacturer of figures in great variety’, which began around 1851 and continued to make figures in quantity into the early part of the twentieth century. But Sampson Smith figures were rarely marked, and typically have a plain oval base. Meanwhile there were many other, often smaller, manufacturers of figures working in Staffordshire at this time.

This figure is a pair with a seated figure of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the Princess’s brother, which is also in the Fitzwilliam collection. Both the children are young. As the Princess Royal was born in 1840 and the Prince of Wales in 1841, the date of these figures is probably around 1845.

Victoria Adelaide Mary Louise, Princess Royal (1840-1901) was the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. In 1858 she married Prince Frederick William of Prussia, and became Crown Princess of Prussia in 1861. In 1888 she was briefly Queen, but her husband died shortly after his accession, thereafter she was known as The Empress Frederick.

School or Style

Victorian

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration

Materials used in production

black, brown, green, orange, deep pink and flesh-pink Enamels
White earthenware
Lead-glaze
Underglaze cobalt-blue

Techniques used in production

Press-moulding : White earthenware, press moulded and pearlware glazed. Painted underglaze in cobalt-blue, and with black, brown, green, orange, deep pink and flesh-pink enamels. The underside is arched and glazed, with a small vent hole. The back and sides are flat and undecorated.
Lead-glazing

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.1007A-1928
Primary reference Number: 71128
Old object number: 2920
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Monday 18 December 2023 Last processed: Monday 18 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Victoria, Princess Royal (as a child)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/71128 Accessed: 2024-04-20 04:13:13

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/71128 |title=Victoria, Princess Royal (as a child) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-04-20 04:13:13|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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