Queen Victoria’s paintings are going for an auction at Hansons Auctioneers’s London. The show will occur next week. They will also be a part of the Hansons January sale. Queen’s floral paintings, which could fetch £20,000 ($22 210) in total. Antique specialists found the paintings among the family’s memorabilia.
Alexander Mountbatten – Best Individual to Indentify the Paintings
Queen Victoria is a British monarch who ruled from 1837 to 1901, when she died. These colorful photos put a different tone to her character. Overall, she always wore black after the death of her husband. One of the pieces includes purple irises in a green vase. Also, around the vase you can see a posy of miniature flowers.
When it comes to the second painting, there is a mix of pink, yellow, orange and white flowers. The vase is blue and it stands on the yellow fabric. In 1945 family’s collection from the queen’s holiday home (Osborne House) went up for an auction. At that time, the private collector acquired Queen Victoria’s work.
“I was astounded and delighted in equal measure when I discovered the paintings. I was asked to value a few items at a cottage in Surrey, but had no idea of the magnitude and importance of the antiques tucked away”, Chris Kirkham, associate director of Hansons London, said in a statement.
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But how do we know these paintings are the queen’s work of art? First Marquess of Carisbrooke and the final living grandchild of Queen Victoria, Alexander Mountbatten identified them as her work. Kirkham also said he is the best individual to attest to the authenticity of these paintings.
Some Queen Victoria’s Work Couldn’t Find Its Buyer
The Artnet Price Database states that the queen’s auction record is £30,000 ($45,038). If the floral paintings achieve their estitamated work, they will be take third place in Queen Victoria‘s best sold work. Also, there were not many Queen Victoria’s pieces up for auction, over the course of time.
There were 15 of them, but not all were successful. Five of them couldn’t find its buyer. A watercolor of Prince Edward and Prince Alfred is among the most recent examples. It was bought at two Bonhams Knightsbridge sales in 2020, in May and again in November.
“We hear a lot about King Charles’s paintings, so it’s particularly interesting to see the work of his ancestor Queen Victoria“, Kirkham added. Additionally, a letterbox originally owned by Queen Victoria is available at the Hansons auction. It carries an estimate of £4,000 to £6,000 ($4,900 to $7,400).
