Lot 1
Great Britain, Chalon Portrait of Queen Victoria in Her Robes of State, 29½ x 20¾'' gouache on porcelain painting, under glass in ornate gold gilded frame (38 x 29 x 3¾''), purported to be the work of Alfred Edward Chalon and one of three full length paintings rendered by Chalon, circa 1837-39; some repairs to frame's gingerbread, 264219, Very Fine, offered "on its own merits" (read story text below), be mindful of shipping charges.Estimate $5,000 - 7,500.
THE FAMOUS EXAMPLE OF THE PORTUGAL CHALON FULL LENGTH PORTRAIT PAINTING OF QUEEN VICTORIA IN HER ROBES OF STATE.
A paper given by Robson Lowe at the Royal Society of Arts in London on April 15, 1955 stated: "In 1837, on the occasion of Queen Victoria's accession to the Throne, Her Majesty stood at the foot of the grand staircase while the artist painted a sketch of the young Queen in her robes of State. From that sketch Chalon made three copies of the portrait which was to become the most famous royal portrait in the world. The first of these was given to her mother, the Duchess of Kent, who later presented it to her son-in-law, the Prince Consort. The two other copies painted by Chalon were given by Queen Victoria to the King of Prussia and to the King of Portugal. It is believed that the first of these copies was destroyed by the R.A.F. during the last war, but the King of Portugal's copy came to this county when his successor, King Manuel abdicated in 1910. In 1947 this copy was sold and I was fortunate enough to acquire it."
In 1981 after Christies had purchased Robson Lowe Auctions and Lowe's office was on King Street in London, New Zealand collector, Dale Forster, purchased the painting which was shipped to his address in Oregon. Recently members of the Royal Philatelic Society, John Stimson and Brian Hart researched the provenance of the painting and were unable to confirm Lowe's provenance. In fact, they have questioned in an article in the London Philatelist if Chalon painted the "Portugal Chalon".
Although this painting is lacking definable provenance, it has been held with great esteem at many exhibitions from 1955 to 1980. It has been used by the New Zealand Post Office in the design of their 1988 $1 mini-sheet, and featured in Robert Odenweller's 2009 publication "The Postage Stamps of New Zealand 1855-1873 - The Chalon Head Issues". The painting is accompanied by letters from the P.O. and designer of the 1988 mini-sheet, Marcel Stanley, essay items, commemorative covers, etc.
Realized: $10,000