William DOWNEY (1829-1915) - Lot 270

William DOWNEY (1829-1915) Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928) Watercolor miniature on bone Signed lower left "Downey in a fine English silver frame hallmarked LW by Louis Charles Wilmott of London 7.6 x 6 cm. This miniature was made from a photograph, probably taken during Maria Feodorovna's visit to Great Britain in 1907. William Downey was one of the photographers of Queen Victoria and the British nobility. He is also known to have produced a number of miniature watercolor portraits for members of the English royal family. Some of his works are held in the collections of the Queen of England. Goldsmith Louis Charles Wilmott worked extensively for Edward VII, notably on the picture frames for the Royal Collection Trust. Bibliography: A miniature of the Empress by the same artist is held in the Royal Collection of England, see : VANESSA REMINGTON, Victorian Miniatures: In the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, 2010, no. 268, ill. Our miniature is slightly larger than the one in the Royal Collection, in which the Empress wears the same black dress adorned with a sapphire and three roses, with a long, four-row pearl necklace.