GABRIELE MARIANO NICOLAI CARELLI (1821-1900)
The interior of the Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore
dated 1880Pencil and watercolour | 45.4 x 33.1 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 919746
British sovereigns and their consorts were usually buried in Westminster Abbey or in St George’s Chapel at Windsor, but Albert’s (and later Victoria’s) final resting place was, in the German tradition, a private mausoleum in the grounds of Windsor Castle. The colourful decoration was inspired by Albert’s love for the Italian Renaissance, particularly the works of Raphael. Victoria regularly visited what she referred to as ‘our mausoleum’, confiding to her journal after one occasion, ‘being there did me good, & quieted me’.