THE QUEEN'S GREAT HOBBY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1951, 11 April 1889, Page 32

THE QUEEN'S GREAT HOBBY.

Her Majesty as an Artist, With an Account of Her Favourite Pictures and Painters. It is probable that less is known of her Majesty's great liking for painting than of any other artistic amusement associated with her name. True, she herself throws out a stray hint relative to her sketching in Scotland in her book " Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands" ; still, but little is known of the time when, as a child, she first took the pencil in hand and gave signs of much skill, which became all the more noticeable in later years.

Her Majesty first commenced to draw under the tuition of Richard Westall, R.A., when she was between 10 and 11 years of age. Mr Westall has commemorated this event by an engraving of the "Princess Victoria," which was prepared from a sketch possibly made one morning when the tutor was giving his royal pupil a lesson in the garden. It shows the little Princess in a charming corner of the garden with her head covered with curls,. and dressed in a neat and simple white muslin frock pausing for a moment whilst sketching, with pencil and paper block in her hands. This was engraved in 1830, six years before the death of her old drawing master." Edward Henry Corbould taught her to paint, and from the first moment she held the brush her favourite subjects have always been either animals or marine views, though many landscape pieces with mountainous scenery have also originated with the royal brush. The Queen prefers water-colours to oils, and before the death of the Prince Consort— though she never exhibited her own works — she never missed an opportunity of visiting the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours, in Pall Mall, making purchases of pictures which pleased her most. It may be asked what has become of the numerous sketches and pictures which the Queen has drawn and painted. Though her Majesty has practically given up her favourite amusement, yet, considering the number of years she had been devoted to the art, her works muEt reach a tolerably high total.

Very few of her own paintings have gone beyond the precints of either Balmoral, Windsor, or Osborne, but they are used principally, together with those of her favourite artists, to whom we shall refer presently, to decorate the walls of her private apartments. The rooms of Princess Beatrice are also adorned with some of them, and other prominent of the royal family have specimens of work furnished by their august relative.

Apart from drawing and painting, it is not generally known that the Queen is very clever at etching. All the royal etchings were done from the works of Sir Edwin Land^eer, who really taught her Majesty ■this particular branch of art, Sir Thomas Landseer, A.R.A., giving instructions as to how to use the acid, or to " bite in " as it is technically called ; while the late Mr Holdgate gave the necessary tuition in printing ; and Mr Henry Graves was called in to supervise the whole.

Only one of these four royal tutors is living, and a few days ago, whilst we were chatting with Mr Graves, a white-headed gentleman now 83 years of age, who still sits in his chair at his business house in Pall Mall, he told us how well he remembered those morning lessons given to the Queen.

A little printing press was set up at Buckingham Palace, and her Majesty, attired in the quietest of morning gowns, would diligently listen to the instructions of her masters, and soon gave practical proof that the lessons had not been in vain.

It was in the years 1841 to 1843 that the etchings were produced — eight of them in all— namely, "Goat Seated," "Group of Heads of Horses and Mules," " Two Horses, one with Trappings," " French Woman Selling Fruit," "Girl in a Cloak," "The Hay

Waggon,"' "Two Children with a Goat," and " Man" witlr Horse and Cart." It is further interesting to note that th» Prince Consort was the companion of the Queen in her etching studies-, for during this same period be was responsible for fow items— viz., "Two Old Women,, one on Crutches," " Old Woman seated with Young Girl," " Dead Stag, with Fox Keeping Ravens at Bay," and an etching of bis favourite dogs Eos and Caimach. Her Majesty's favourite painter was, with* out a doubt, Sir Edwin Landseer, who was knighted in 1850 when 43 years of age. She has over 50 pictures from the brush of this artist, the present value of which can .be little short of £35,000, and all were bought and paid for out of her own private purse. They have all some association connected with them dear to the heart of the Queen. Amongst the most valuable is that of " A Drive of Deer— Glen Orchy," worth £8000. It was painted for the Marquis of Breadalbane, who presented it to the Prince Consort; it now belongs to the Queen, and hangs at Osborne. Then there is " The Sanctuary," originally painted for Mr W. Wells in 1842 for JOOgs, but he gave it up at the request of the Prince Consort, and its value to-day is £5000. The picture " Windsor Castle in the Present Time" (1843), with portraits of the Queen, Prince Consort and the Princess Koyal— is worth £3000, whilst many are worth £1500 and £1000, including that of "Pen, Brush, and Chisel," painted to commemorate Sir Francis Chantrey's having killed two woodcooks at one shot, and presented to her Majesty by Lady Chantrey. "Loch Laggan," although not worth so much— its value being about £500— is highly prized by the Queen, owing to an amusing circumstance connected with the painting of it. It is a group showing her Majesty in a simple plaid gown, having just risen from her easel, for she had been sketching, near which stands the youthfnl Princess Royal, and the stall more youthful Prince of Wales, in his little Highland drass. . In the centre is a pony laden with deer, and at its head is a sturdy Highlander, cap in hand, his hands on his knees, with an expression half amused and half perplexed on his face. Here is the story. Sir Edwin Landseer was on his way from the house where he was staying to see his royal pupil at Balmoral, and reaching Loch Laggan, was a little worried which road to take. Catching sight of a man, he bid him hurry round the loch— in the neighbourhood of whioh he knew the Queen to be — and respectfully tell her he would join her shortly. The man hurried away on his pony, and soon came across a lady, with her two children, sitting on a huge stone, with paper, pencils, and other drawing utensils picturesquely scattered upon the grass. . " Could you tell me, lady, where maybe I shall find the Queen," he asked, taking off his cap. " Oh, yes," replied the lady addressed ; "I am the Queen." This so tickled the Scotchman, who probably had expected to see a crown on her Majesty's head and a sceptre in her hand, that he gave vent to his feelings by putting his hands on his knees and exclaiming, plainly and simply, "Gammon I" This little incident delighted the royal artist, and when Sir Edwin arrived she made him chronicle the event with his pencil. Hence the picture. To show how much her Majesty admired the genius of this great painter, she has today in her private sitting room at Balmoral a set of photographs— some 500 in number— of everything her favourite artist did. This was prepared by Mr Algernon Graves (son of the gentleman who looked after the wellbeing of the Buckingham Palace printing press), and she personally received it from him seven or eight years ago in the corridor of Windsor Castle. Winteibalter was the royal choice amongst portrait painters. The Queen is very fond of the works of John Philip, R.A., and one of her particular favourites is Sir Noel Paton; to whom she gave the post of " Limner," or painter for Scotland. This office of a painter set apart for the Highlands, dates from the time^f James I, when the union with Scotland was brought about. The King also provided the holder of it- with an annual stipend of £300. The pictures which the Queen has purchased privately must not be confounded with the National ones. These are worth over half a million of money and are heirlooms. At Buckingham Palace are stored famous examples of the Flemish and Dutch schools, the finest of their kind in Europe. The Italian school finds a home at Windsor, together with priceless Vandykes and the choicest works of Reubens. Salons arc named after these great artists, and their works are to be found in those bearing their names. Modern art is represented at Osborne, and includes the British school, with those of Belgium, France, and Germany; every nook and corner of the palace here — which may be regarded as the home of her Majesty — finds a place for pictures by living artists.— Home Paper. —Africa is not unlike a great block of buildings crammed with combustibles, in the heart of which a fire has broken out. Outside, at the rim of the continent as it were, all the European fire-engines are busy. France at Tunis, England in Egypt, Italy at Massowah, and Germany at Zanzibar are all endeavouring to extinguish the blaze. But they are like so many fire-engines which can only play upon the approaches to the main building, without being able to throw even a single jet upon the real seat, of the conflagration. The fire, indeed, driven in upon itself, blazes with still fiercer heat, until at last the spectators see with alarm the roof of the central pile fall crashing into the flames. 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