SIR ALFRED GILBERT, M.V.O, R.A. (1854-1934)

The first cast of Gilbert's Victory surmounted the orb in Queen Victoria's hand on the sculptor's 1887 Golden Jubilee monument to her at Winchester. In a letter of 1 January 1911 Gilbert wrote, 'Its apparent joyousness is due to the fact that it was conceived and executed during the very few hours of happiness I have ever known.' Another example of the model with only slight variation to the angle of the trumpet and the shape of the branches was presented by Gilbert to the Royal Academy in 1909 as a long-overdue deposit for his diploma work after he was elected full Academician in 1892 (inv. 03/1917).