Prince Consort's Tomb. R. T. Pritchett (1828–1907). c. 1880. Source: Adams 49. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]
At first, William Adams seems rather dubious about the "elaborate and costly Mausoleum of the Prince Consort" at Frogmore (56), pointing out that it took years (1862-1870) to build and decorate. But after all he finds it "rich and dignified, without heaviness" and is full of praise for its decor:
Not a foot of space has been left vacant; the eye is almost wearied by the embarras de richesses. The walls glow with coloured marbles, contrasting with the pure white marble shafts of the columns, and harmonising with their gilded capitals, bases, and mouldings. There are also arabesques, pictures, mosaics, gilded angels, frescoes of the Evangelists, statues of the Prophets, decorated work in gilt bronze; all fused together, however, with a splendid unity and true artistic feeling.
Somewhat in contrast to its vibrant surroundings, the sarcophagus, "which rests upon a base of black marble, was hewn out of the largest block of Aberdeen granite ever quarried," and Adams mentions that "[t]he recumbent effigy of the Prince Consort, in white marble, which ornaments the lid, was executed by the late Baron Marochetti" (57). Pritchett is able capture this well in black and white, while depicting the angels at the corners of the tomb in close detail. Queen Victoria's effigy was already prepared, and she would be reunited with her husband here in 1901.
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Scanned image, text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned it and the Internet Archive, and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.
Bibliography
Adams, William Henry Davenport. Our Native Land: new series: Windsor Castle and the Water-way Thither. Illustrations (mainly) by R. T. Pritchett. London: Marcus Ward, 1880. Internet Archive, from a copy in the Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. Web. 17 September 2023.
Created 17 September2023