Gratuitous Bertie Dog Picture: King of Pressure

"I told you.  I called dibs on the chair."

Image:  Frederick II, King of Prussia (1712-86), Creator: Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo (1719-95) (artist), Creation Date: 1769, Materials: Oil on canvas, Provenance: First recorded at Carlton House in 1816.

Crown Copyright.  The Royal Collection.  Image Via The Royal Collection Trust and Courtesy of Her Majesty of Queen Elizabeth II.

To learn more about this painting, visit its official entry in the catalog of The Royal Collection Trust.

You, too, could have a cup of tea with Bertie. Or, you could wear his picture proudly. Visit our online store to see our range of Gratuitous Bertie Dog products.

Mastery of Design: A Portrait Ring of Nicholas I, 1833

Portrait Ring of Nicholas I, Emperior of Russia
Ivan Winberg, 1833
Miniature of Watercolor on Ivory
Gold, Diamonds, Enamel
The Royal Collection

This magnificent ring dates to 1833 and is attributed to the painter Ivan Winberg. Here, we have a miniature portrait of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia set behind a flat-cut diamond. The watercolor on ivory miniature is set in a ring of enamel, diamonds, and gold. The portrait is surmounted by a diamond-set imperial crown. The shoulders of the ring are flanked with enameled, double-headed eagles of Russia.


I don’t suppose it will come as a shock to anyone at this point that this ring came into the Royal Collection via Queen Mary (of Teck). How she got it, I don’t know. But, she got it—as one does.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click image to enlarge.

Sculpture of the Day: “Victory” by Christian Daniel Rauch, 1851

Christian Daniel Rauch
Victory
1851
Bronze
The Royal Collection

During the Great Exhibition of 1851, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert delighted in the displays of sculpture which lined the main corridor of the exhibit. Queen Victoria was particularly taken with the work of C.D. Rauch and ordered a seven foot tall marble figure of Victory from the sculptor with the intention of presenting as a gift to Prince Albert.

Rauch had sculpted many of the enormous figures which had been displayed at the King of Bavaria’s German showpiece, Valhalla, and his work was well known to many of Euopre’s crowned heads. Curiously, the sculpture that Victoria selected from the Great Exhibition had been intended for her all along. It seems that the King of Prussia had commissioned a grand sculpture of Victory which he planned on presenting to Queen Victoria. Strangely, he never followed through, and the sculpture was never presented to the Queen. Rauch ended up showing the unclaimed work at the Great Exhibition instead, and it coincidentally caught the eye of the Queen.

Prince Albert loved the figure and displayed it at their summer home on the Isle of Wight, Osborne House. A small bronze version of the sculpture (seen above) was cast in Germany and shown at the Great Exhibition, taking the place of the marble which had been moved to Osborne House. After the Exhibition, the bronze was added to the Royal Collection.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Bertie's Pet-itations: Love Me, Love My Cat

Here's Bertie's weekly opportunity to share his ideas for creating our new "Beautiful Age."  Bertie's advice, I'm sure, can be applied to many different areas of our lives.

And, so, I happily hand the computer over to him.


Bertie says:

It's National "Love Your Pet" Day in the U.S.  So, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to take an extra minute to let your pet know how much you love him or her today.  My papa loves me so much, he let me have a pet of my own.  He let me adopt a cat named Miss Oscar.  Of course, he takes care of her for me, so, I get all the fun and none of the hassle.  Make today an extra good day for your pet.  I am going to!

A Recipe for Punch, Chapter 63

Chapter 63
A Lovely Welcome


"Matthew,"  Punch forced a smile, extending both of his hands as he and Robert descended the tremendous staircase.  "How glad we are to see you."

"I say, I'm glad to finally be here.  It's been a brutal journey to be sure."  The Earl of Cleaversworth nodded.  

"You must be weary."  Robert replied as he and Punch reached Matthew.  "I trust your man has been shown to your rooms so he might get you settled in."

"Yes."  Matthew replied.  "Perkins was taken up by two of your men.  Must have been two from the Hall.  I've never seen them before."  He studied Punch and Robert.  "To answer your question, I am weary, but, not nearly as weary as the two of you look.  Is everything in order here?  Has something happened?  Where is Lennie?"

"My sister's just upstairs and she's quite well."  Punch smiled.

"We're running a tad behind schedule."  Robert added.

"She's just changin' her gown.  She wants to look most beautiful for you."  Punch continued.

"Lennie always looks beautiful to me."  Matthew answered sincerely.  "Still, I've known this family well enough to know when something is amiss.  I've spent too many evenings with you, too many dinners at your table to be fooled by your welcoming smiles, gentleman.  Those many weeks before you left, I was as much a fixture of No. 65 Belgrave Square as the bust of Columbine above the Morning Room door.  I say, lads, you can tell what it's all about."

"Why don't you join us in the drawing room?"  Robert said.  "Whilst your man prepares your rooms so you may refresh yourself, we can tell you a bit about what we've..."  He paused looking for the right words.

"Discovered..."  Punch suggested.  "...since we've returned to my ancestral home."

"Very good."  Matthew nodded.

"This way."  Robert guided the earl toward the drawing room.

Punch took a deep breath.  While Matthew was aware of his Punchinello nature, he did try to monitor himself around the earl.  There was no need to startle him.  Matthew was, after all, especially accepting of their particularly unusual family--owing largely to his tremendous affection for Lennie.  So, Punch did try to speak in a more gentlemanly manner when Matthew was about.  Nevertheless, as exhausted as he was, he wasn't sure if he could keep it up.

"So..."  Matthew smiled, once he'd been seated.  "Your first day in your boyhood home hasn't been filled with fond memories, Punch, old man?"

Punch shook his head.  He was pleased, however, that Matthew had taken to calling him "Punch" instead of "Julian."  

"No."  Punch responded.  "Yet...we have made some interesting discoveries."

"Such as?"  Matthew asked.

"Well,"  Punch paused.  "To begin with..."  He cleared his throat.  "I've learned I have an auntie about whom I never knew."

"Is that so?  A...half-aunt?"  

"Yes."  Robert replied.

Matthew smiled.  "On whose side?"

"The Fallbridge side."  Punch answered.

"Many of these old families have aunties and uncles like that."  Matthew chuckled.  "Goodness knows mine does.  Pity you never could have known her.  As--oh, what's the word?  As...accepting as you are about these things, I'm sure you would have welcomed her into the family.  I think your way is better than the old way.  You're a good example to the peerage, Punch, old man.  Just look what you've done with Lennie.  And, the way her Majesty has supported it.  I'm all for it--well, I say, you can see that I am.  Pity, yes, I say, it's a pity that the old girl couldn't have benefited from it, too."

"Oh, but she has."  Robert interrupted.  "She's here."

"Is she?"  Matthew grinned.  "How lovely.  Don't know why, I thought she was dead.  Well, however did you find her?"

"She's been here."  Robert responded.

"Kept on as a servant or something?"  Matthew asked.

"No."  Punch answered.  "She's...she had been...living here..."  He winced.

"How unusual."  Matthew's smile faded.

"She's an unusual woman."  Punch inhaled.  "A lovely, lovely woman.  Isn't she, Chum?"

"She is."  Robert nodded.  "Very sweet-natured.  Very gentle.  And, such a lovely face."

"I look forward to meeting her."  Matthew said cheerfully.

"We look forward to introducing you to her."  Punch replied.  "Only, there's something you should know about Morgana.  Oh, that's her name--Morgana.  You see--she's a little different?"

"Well, I saw, chap.  That's to be expected.  The whole family is a little...different."  Matthew laughed.

"Yes, yes, we are."  Punch nodded.  "Yet...Morgana is different in a different way."

"Oh?"  Matthew's smile faded.

"She really is a lovely woman."  Robert added again.

"So you said."  Matthew nodded.  "How is she different?"

"Coo!  She's a Lobster Woman."  Punch blurted out.  "Don't know no other way to say it.  That's what she is.  Pincers and all.  Ain't got no proper hands.  Got a hunchback, too.  That's not so strange compared to the rest.  Oh--and her leg and foot on the one side--like a tree, it is.  Oh, poor thing. It is pitiable once ya get past the shock of it all.  So, that's it really.  Lobster Woman.  That's what she is."  He panted.  "Otherwise, she's just like the rest of us.  And, she really is very sweet and very shy.  So, when ya meet 'er, don't try to take 'er hand or nothin'--cause she don't got any to speak of.  She won't take 'er meals with us.  We want 'er to, only she won't.  I think 'cause she can't 'old the fork and I'm ever so tired and maybe I'd best stop talkin' now.  Lennie'll be down in a minute."

"Shall I show you to your rooms?"  Robert smiled weakly.


Did you miss Chapters 1-62 of A Recipe for Punch?  If so, you can read them here.  Come back tomorrow for Chapter 64.  

Antique Image of the Day: Queen Victoria and the Princess Royal, 1845

Queen Victoria and
The Princess Royal
1845
The Royal Colelction

This is the earliest known photograph of Queen Victoria. The Queen was an avid fan of photography, even going as far as staging a recreation of her wedding day so that it might be photographed.

Here, we see a young Queen Victoria with her first child and daughter, Victoria, the Princess Royal who was known to the family as “Vicky.” At the age of seventeen, Vicky was wed to Prince William Frederick of Prussia. She was later the Empress of Germany and Queen of Prussia.

Queen Victoria had a great affection for her eldest daughter, making sure that she was created Princess Royal, a title often bestowed upon the eldest daughter of a Royal family. Victoria praised her child’s curiosity and intelligence—two traits which were not demonstrated in Victoria’s eldest son, the heir presumptive, Prince Albert Edward (later King Edward VII).

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Miniature of the Eye of Princess Victoria, 1857

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

We’ve looked at a variety of miniature eyes. This beautiful example is attributed to Sir William Charles Ross (1794-1860) and depicts the eye of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840-1901), the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Princess Royal would later become Empress Frederick III of Germany.

This watercolor on ivory miniature is laid on card and mounted in a gold pendant set with a ruby. The Royal Collection lists the creation of the piece as 1857 and notes that it was commissioned by Queen Victoria.

Typically these miniature eyes were given as tokens to a male suitor. The date of creation puts this piece smack dab in the middle of the engagement of Victoria and Albert’s daughter to the Prince Frederick of Prussia (The German Emperor and King of Prussia) who were engaged in 1856 and married in 1858. It’s a safe bet that this miniature was intended for the future Kaiser Frederick III. Whether or not he received it, I don’t know, but it’s back in the Royal Collection.

Crown Copyright
The Royal Collection
via The Royal Collection Trust
Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Click Image to Enlarge