The gilded sculpture of Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria,is the focus of the Albert Memorial in Kensington, London, UK.
Image details
Contributor:
Julian Nieman / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
FNCMHTFile size:
58.8 MB (2.1 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3703 x 5554 px | 31.4 x 47 cm | 12.3 x 18.5 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
February 2016Location:
Kensington Gardens, Kensington Gore, London, UK.More information:
The sculpture of Queen Victoria's husband is at the centre of the ciborium-shaped memorial in Kensington, London. The original commission for the portrait went to Carlo Marochetti, who died before he began. It passed to Henry Foley, who died before he finished it, and it was completed by Thomas Brock. It was set in place in 1875. The statue was originally gilded, as it is today, but around 1914 the gold was removed ( some say, to help pay for the war- others suggest to make it less reflective and less of a visible target for zeppelin raids, ) and the statue was painted black until restoration in 2013. The figure holds a large book which is the catalog of the 'Great Exhibition' of 1851; one of the first international trade exhibitions which focused on the products of the British Empire. It had been initiated and coordinated by Prince Albert and was enormously successful. Profits of the Great exhibition helped to finance the museums of science, geology, natural history, and the arts (V&A) in Kensington.