Victoria & Albert: Art & Love
Patrons and collectors of art
Not only does [Victoria & Albert: Art & love] brilliantly convey the glamour of the English court but [also gives] a sense of the Queen and the Prince both as separate individuals and as a couple who shared a love of life and a passionate interest in the arts.
Richard Dorment, The Telegraph
Hardback, 23.5 x 26.7 cm
ISBN 978 1 905686 21 6
This publication explores the artistic lives of the young Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, from the Queens accession in 1837 to Prince Alberts death in 1861. These are the years when Buckingham Palace was described as the headquarters of taste, when royal patronage was still the key to a successful artistic career, and when Victoria and Albert were passionately involved together in the artistic life of the nation.
The book reveals the closeness of the royal couples relationships with artists such as Landseer, Gibson, Marochetti, Winterhalter, Gruner and Triqueti, and depicts the wide range of their artistic interests from old master paintings to sculpture, furniture, finely bound volumes and jewellery.
There is also a fascinating discussion of Victoria and Alberts passion for recording views of locations and events through watercolour and photography in their Souvenir Albums, and of their own artistic products, painted, drawn and etched.
Jonathan Marsden is former Director of the Royal Collection and has published widely on sculpture and on the history of collecting.
