The Washington herald., 1907-09-08
KING EDWARD As AN ARTIST
Other European Royalties with
Talent for Painting.
Many of Queen victOria's Descend-
ents Have Marked Artistic Ability
and SO Has German Emperor.

| King Edward cannot only boast that he
has lt9d a picture exhibited at Burling-
ton House at an earlier age than the
most precocious OF our present Royal
/ Aeademicians, says London Tit-Bits. but
that his picture was purchased for a sub
stantial sum before the public even set
/ eyes on il
This remarkable and little known epi-
sode in his majesty's life occurred more
than half q century ago. when Queen
Victoria's children contributed sketches
70 an exhibition which va held at Bur
| ltngton House in aid Of q fund for the
soldiers wounded in the Crimean war.
The record price in the exhibition was
I realized by a sketch entitled ''The Battle
field" the work Of the Princess Royal
which found a purchaser for the sum Of
go guineas. The Prince cf wales sketch
Che was only thirteen az the time) was
bought for % guineas; and drawings by
the still younger princes and princesses
fetched 80 guineas each.
There is, as matter Of fact. scarcely
one 81 Queen Victoria's descendantxwho
has not inherited in some degree her love
Of art The late Empress Frederick was
throughout her life passionately fond OF
painting and exhibited so much skill that
the Berlin Academy Of Arts enrolled her
among its members in recognition OF her
talent as a composer and a draftswo-
man"
Princess Henry Of Battenberg is little
less skillful with the brush. as is proved
by the three beautiful Landscapes which
for so many years hung IN Queen Vic
toria's sitting room at Osborne. and by
many other pictures which have honored
places in almost every royal palace in
Great Britain. Princess Christians talent
takes the form of exquisite designs for
the tapestry produced under her direction
at the Royal School Of Art Needlework,
and Princess Victoria, her daughter. is
one of the most skillful amateur painters
Of flowers in England.
But undoubtedly the best artist in our
royal family is Princess Louise, Duchess
of Argyll. who can produce with equal
skill a beautiful picture or q life size
statue which viii compare not unfavcr-
ably with most professional work.
Nor is proficiency in art by any means
confined to English royalties 1t is not
long since a sumptuous volume was pub
lished for a charitable cause, the illustra-
tions Of which were largely supplied by
royal artists. The German Emperor con-
tribute a striking picture Of a large ship
riding at anchor on a placid sea, sur
rounded by smaller boats and~with a
background of distant snowcapped noun
tains Queen Amelie Of Portugal was
represented by a study Of a donkey's
head, ornamented with gayly colored
trappings; the Queen Of Spain by an ex-
quisite study of flowers; the Empress
Frederick by & powerful sketch of a boy
head, and Princess Clara Of Bavaria by
an ambitious and successful etching.
The German Emperor, as is well known,
is an artist of mich more than average
skill. One of his pictures. Fight Be-
tween Battle Ships" is remarkably
powerful piece Of work, exhibiting rare
skill and technical knowledge. while his
design for the tower Of the Church of
Our Saviour at Jerusalem proves that he
is no mean architect and craftsman
King Carlos Of Portugal, however. is bvf
universal consent the ablest artist among |
European sovereign5. Year after year his |
canvases attract crowds Of admirers ar
the exhibitions Of the Lisbon Salcn. while
at the Paris exhibition a pastel entitled
'Tunny Fish on the Portuguese Coast
won for him the honor Of a silver medal /
The Shah Of Persia has cultivated his
talent for drawing with considerable en- /
thusiasm. His hobby takes a very curl /
GUS form, for we are told that in his pal |
ace at Teheran he has a studio. the walls /
of which are covered with white paper On
which he does his sketching. When the
four walls are covered with drawings he 1
has them repapered and starts again.