Queen Victoria Signed Diamond Jubilee Royal Portrait Artist Amedee Forestier UK

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Queen Victoria Signed Diamond Jubilee Royal Portrait Artist Amedee Forestier UK:
$35000.00

For your consideration is a highly important Royal Presentation Diamond Jubilee etching on vellum (parchment) of Queen Victoria, personally signed by the Queen and dated 1897, produced to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of her accession to the throne. Issued in the climactic year of Victorian sovereignty, the work occupies a distinguished position within the corpus of Jubilee material, uniting official publication, ceremonial vellum support, and sovereign autograph. The Diamond Jubilee marked not merely a dynastic milestone but the symbolic culmination of an era in which the British monarchy had become inseparable from imperial expansion, constitutional stability, and global prestige. As such, presentation works associated with the Jubilee were conceived with unusual deliberation and formality, intended to reflect the gravity of the moment.

The portrait was designed and etched by Amde Forestier, whose inscription A. Forestier, Cimiez 1897 appears beneath the image, recording both authorship and place of execution. Cimiez, near Nice, was the Queens winter residence during the later years of her life, and the association of the work with that setting lends it particular historical resonance. Forestiers rendering presents Victoria in widows veil and lace, her features modeled with restraint and dignity, conveying the solemn authority of a monarch who had reigned for six decades. The composition is sober rather than celebratory, emphasizing continuity and endurance rather than spectaclean aesthetic entirely in keeping with the Queens late-period public image.

The sheet bears the full imprint of Henry Graves & Co., Publishers to Her Majesty under Royal Warrant, reading: London Copyright 1897. Publishers to Her Majesty, T.R.H. Prince & Princess of Wales. Published by Henry Graves & Co. Limited, 6 Pall Mall London. Printing was executed in Paris by Paul Moglia, a master printer of high standing whose involvement underscores the technical and artistic quality of the impression. Of particular importance is the choice of vellum rather than paper. Vellum was reserved for the most formal and prestigious impressions, especially those intended for presentation or ceremonial gifting. Its use here signals a level of official distinction beyond that of standard commercial Jubilee prints and situates the sheet within the sphere of courtly distribution.

This example bears the bold autograph Victoria R.I. 1897 in black ink, executed in the Queens characteristic late hand. The addition of the regnal abbreviation R.I. (Regina Imperatrix) reflects her dual status as Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India, a title adopted in 1876 and integral to the imperial dimension of the Jubilee celebrations. Adjacent to the signature appears a finely engraved vignette depicting the enthroned monarch in coronation robes, inscribed 1837, marking the year of her accession. The deliberate juxtaposition of accession date and Jubilee year forms a symbolic axis uniting the commencement and culmination of the longest British reign to that date. The visual program thus reinforces the historical narrative of continuity, longevity, and imperial authority that defined the Diamond Jubilee festivities.

Measuring approximately 24.5 by 18.5 inches (62 47 cm), the sheet remains in strong condition for vellum of this size and age. Light foxing, gentle toning, and stable perimeter residue from earlier ceremonial mounting are consistent with nineteenth-century presentation framing and do not detract from the image or autograph. The vellum retains its structural integrity and displays the characteristic surface texture and subtle translucency associated with high-quality parchment. The convergence of sovereign autograph, Royal Warrant publisher, vellum presentation medium, Jubilee iconography, and identified artist establishes this work as a rare surviving example of formal Diamond Jubilee presentation material. It stands as a tangible artifact of the apex of Victorian ceremonial culture, embodying the authority, symbolism, and imperial confidence that defined the final decade of Queen Victorias reign.