Eduardo Frederico Chevalier de Martino, C.V.O. (Italian, 1838-1912)

Not long after his arrival in London in 1876 from South America, Eduardo de Martino came into contact with the Prince and Princess of Wales with whom he formed a lasting friendship, and in 1895 Queen Victoria made him Marine Painter in Ordinary (he was the last to hold that appointment). His connection with the court brought him patronage from other crowned heads and members of the royal family, and it is possible that the illustrated picture here was commissioned by Prince Henry.

Prince Henry of Prussia was one of the sons of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Victoria, and brother to the future Kaiser Wilhelm II. Although not such an enthusiastic yachtsman as his brother the Kaiser, Prince Henry of Prussia nevertheless ordered a new racing cutter Irene in 1891, which he named after his wife, Princess Irene of Hesse, another of Queen Victoria's grandchildren. Designed by G.L. Watson and built by A. & J. Inglis at Glasgow, she was registered at 54 tons gross (34 net) and measured 74 feet in length with a 13 foot beam. After racing her for only four years, Prince Henry sold her to M. Tarbett Fleming of Glasgow and replaced her with the larger 69-ton cutter L'Esperance.