Karl Girardet

C. Ros, El duque de Monpensier, La ambición de reinar, Seville 2000, p. 84, reproduced

Unframed. Laid down on an old album page. Appears to be in excellent condition - very fresh and strong.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This scene depicts the nuptial mass and veiling ceremony (or velacion) of Doña Isabel II, Queen of Spain and the Indies (1830-1904) to her first cousin, the Infante Don Francisco de Asis de Borbòn y Borbòn (1822-1902), and her younger sister, the Infanta Doña Maria Luisa Fernanda de Borbòn y Borbòn (1832-1897) to Prince Antoine d'Orléans, Duque de Montpensier (1824-1890).  The wedding took place in the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de Atocha, Madrid, on 11 October 1846.  We see the couples kneeling at the altar with the brides' mother, Queen Doña Maria Christina, widow of King Don Fernando VII of Spain, between them.  The figure to the right of the Duc de Montpensier is his brother, Prince Henri d'Orléans, Duc d'Aumale. 

Two comparable watercolours by Girardet are in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, depicting royal visits by Queen Victoria to Louis-Philippe (dated 1844) and to Napoleon III (1855).¹  Both were commissioned by the Queen for her Souvenir albums, which she described as '...containing most beautiful water color paintings by the first Artists...representing the different places we visited & scenes of our life'.²  After the 1855 visit depicted by Girardet, Napoleon III sent the Queen watercolours as souvenirs of the trip, so clearly drawings such as this and the following lot were also popular at other European courts. 

We are most grateful to Sabrina Mackenzie, of the Royal Collection, for her help in the cataloguing of this and the following lot.

1.  See D. Millar, The Victorian Watercolours and Drawings in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen, London 1995, pp. 362-3, cat. nos. 2130-2131

2.  Ibid., p. 9