Description
Painted on porcelain, bust length, in black coat and white stock, 6.5 x 5cm; and an autographed envelope addressed to Major the Lord Charles Wellesley Berlin, marked PRIVATE and signed W (2).
Footnote
Note: Painted after the daguerreotype by Antoine Claudet of May 1844, on the Duke's 75th birthday, an engraving of which was published by H T Ryall in 1845 and 1849.
A similar miniature by John Haslam is in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Another by William Essex signed and dated 1852 is in the family collection of the Duke of Wellington and another signed and dated 1852, sold at Christie's in 1989.
Antoine Claudet (1797-1867) was a pupil of Louis Daguerre and photographed a number of distinguished British sitters. In 1853 he was appointed 'painter in ordinary' to Queen Victoria.
Major General Lord Charles Wellesley 1808-1858 was the second son of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. His older brother Arthur Wellesley 2nd Duke, died in 1884 with no heirs and Lord Charles' eldest son Henry inherited the title.
Provenance: by descent to the present owner through a cadet branch of the Wellesley family