Lot 144: JOHN EDWARD JONES (1806-1862) AND EMIL WOLFF (1802-1879)BRITISH AND GERMAN, 1854 AND 1842

PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE BRITISH COLLECTOR QUEEN VICTORIA AND ALBERT, PRINCE CONSORT Victoria signed and dated: J. E. JONES. Sc. / LONDON. 1854. Albert signed and dated: E. WOLFF. FC. / ROMÆ. 1842. white marble, with white marble and grey veined marble socles respectively, on a pair of English, early 19th-century, marbelised wood plinths bust of Victoria: 63cm., 24¾in. socle: 13cm., 5 1/8 in. bust of Albert: 60cm., 23 5/8 in. socle: 14cm., 5½in. plinths: 86.5cm., 34in.

London, Christopher Wood Gallery at Mallet, An Exhibition of Paintings, Watercolours, Drawings and Works of Art, 1988

An Exhibition of Paintings, Watercolours, Drawings and Works of Art, Christopher Wood Gallery at Mallet, London, 1988 (unpaginated)

Albert: Sotheby's London, 3 July 1986, lot 153 the pair: with Christopher Wood, London, 1988 the plinths: with Messrs Ciancimino, 99 Pimlico Road, London, circa 1988

When Queen Victoria married Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha on 10th February 1840, Albert had recently returned from a Grand Tour of Italy. During his stay in Italy in 1839 he sat for his fellow German, Emil Wolff, a well-known sculptor in Rome. Wolff went on to become Prince Albert's favourite sculptor and he was invited to Windsor to make portrait studies. The present bust of Albert probably results from the sittings at Windsor. Only three versions of this portrait are known. One is in the Royal Collection and another was donated by Albert to the Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation. The bust of Queen Victoria dates from a slightly later period and a version of the model, which may be identifable with the present marble, was exhibited by its author John Edward Jones at the Royal Academy in 1854. RELATED LITERATURE F. Leone, A Rediscovered Marble Bust of Prince Albert by Emil Wolff, Rome, 2012; A. Graves, The Royal Academy of Arts: A Complete Dictionary of Contributors, vol. IV, London, 1906, pp. 274-276