Prince Albert, 1839-40 (w/c on ivory laid on card)

Prince Albert (1819-61) Painted by Ross from sittings on 27 February and 2 and 5 March 1840. On the last occasion Queen Victoria 'remained with [Albert] whilst he sat to Ross, who is doing a most exquisite likeness of him, a profile, in a black velvet jacket, with the collar turned down, & no cravat' (RA QVJ: 5 March 1840). The untidy method of mounting the miniature and the absence of test strokes on the reverse are unusual, and it lacks some of the strength to be expected in such a key commission. It was, however, one of the portraits of Prince Albert most favoured by Queen Victoria and her family. Victoria, Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Prussia, rated it second only to Thorburn's miniature of her father in armour (421665; Royal Collection): 'what I like next best is Sir William's profile in the black velvet coat which you have on your table – they are the 2 most correct I think; none of the others are handsome enough!' (RA VIC/Z 12/63, 11 January 1862). The miniature still stood in a favoured position on Queen Victoria's writing table in October 1872 when the Crown Princess asked: 'Can you send me an engraving of the lovely miniature of Sir Wm. Ross (in the black velvet coat, in profile) wh. stands on your writing table, I know the engraving exists and I promised to procure one for a person who is very anxious to possess it' (RA VIC/Z 27/8). Queen Victoria is seen wearing what must have been a recent copy of this miniature set into a four-strand bracelet on her right arm in her portrait by John Partridge of 1840 (403022; Royal Collection). The bracelet was a favoured article and she wore it constantly throughout her life: it is clearly depicted in Gunn & Stuart's official Diamond Jubilee photograph of her taken in the spring of 1897 (RCIN 21057720). A miniature of this type set into a bracelet was left to the Princess Royal on Queen Victoria's death (Inventory of Jewels 1896, fol. 61).