Marcus Stone, R.A.

Acquired from the artist by Alexander Collie Esq., Kensington Palace Gardens, London;

His sale, London, Christie’s, 26 February 1876, lot 126;

Where acquired by Arthur Tooth & Sons, London;

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 11 June 1993, lot 245;

With Kurt E. Schon Ltd., New Orleans;

From whom acquired by the present owner.

Western Morning Press, 1 May 1871, p. 3;

Morning Post, 4 May 1871, p. 6;

Reading Mercury, 6 May 1871, p. 7;

Darlington and Richmond Herald, 6 May 1871, p. 5;

The Graphic, 20 May 1871, p. 20;

Art Journal, 1871, p. 152;

A.L. Baldry, 'The Life and Work of Marcus Stone, R.A.', in Art Annual, 1896, p. 18.

London, Royal Academy, 1871, no. 104 ('The King's grace was well pleased to see his heir so goodly a child of his age, although the little Lady Elizabeth was considered worthy of the honour of being admitted to keep company with the young Prince Edward, her brother, her father took but little note of her').

The scene takes place at the Tudor palace of Hampton Court in the nursery of the sickly Prince Edward who is at the centre of the composition with the imposing figure of his father, Henry VIII. It is an interior of sumptuous tapestries and opulent wood carving which are complemented by the rich attire of the King, his family and the courtiers. The King offers a biscuit to his infant – a gesture that represents paternal love and is in stark contrast to the fearsome reputation of the monarch whose military might is symbolized by the toy ship. There is a pervading sense of pride that the King has finally produced a son and heir for his lineage. The King’s third wife Jane Seymour had died not long after the birth of Prince Edward and Lady Elizabeth, the daughter of his second wife, Anne Boleyn regards the King’s affection for his son with envious sadness. She is the red-haired girl on the left. The young woman kneeling beside Prince Edward is probably Princess Mary, daughter of King Henry’s first wife Catherine of Aragon.

Painted in 1871, this was the last of three Tudor subjects, painted by Stone when he was only thirty-one. It was preceded by The Princess Elizabeth Obliged to Attend Mass by her Sister Mary exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1869 and Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn Observed by Queen Katherine exhibited in 1870 (Christie's, London, 12 June 1992, lot 250). In these earlier pictures Stone emphasised the psychological aspects of the historical events represented. The same emphasis can be observed in other early literary or historical works, including a scene from Much Ado about Nothing of 1861 (sketch in Guildhall Art Gallery), On the Road to Waterloo, a Napoleonic subject of 1863 and Edward II and his Favourite Piers Gaveston of 1872. The artist would find fame with his series of romantic depictions of Regency couples in verdant English gardens which appealed to the Victorian love of sentiment – but it is the earlier, historic pictures that are more interesting and insightful. Dickens was of the same opinion – he had regarded Stone with great affection and nurtured the young artist, following the death of his father, Frank Stone in 1859. The eminent novelist did much to promote the career of the young artist, including commissioning him to illustrate Our Mutual Friend and Great Expectations in the 1860s. In 1858 Dickens gave Marcus Stone a copy of his Child's History of England from his own library, and as Baldry points out, there is a distinct similarity between the subject of The Royal Nursery and an incident involving Florence and Paul Dombey in Dombey and Son.