Object Description
A hand decorated antique English heraldic tile depicting the coat of arms of Queen Victoria, dating from 1881. This porcelain tile is one of 14 similar we are selling removed from the now demolished Victorian Brompton Military Hospital Library, Chatham. It is dated and signed J. D. Rochfort to the reverse.
Queen Victoria, ‘The Patron’, ruled Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 – 1901. A photograph from circa 1855 of Crimean War veterans gathered outside Brompton Barracks at Chatham Military Hospital forms part of the Royal Collection, acquired by Queen Victorian herself. Another coloured lithograph (pictured) shows Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visiting wounded soldiers at Brompton Hospital in 1855.
This large scale 8-inch tile is unique and brilliantly detailed, making a superb collector’s item. Hand-painted on porcelain, it is over 140 years old and captures the talent of the artist, offering a glimpse into 19th century English history. The artist, John Downes Rochfort (1825-1885), was a painter of ceramics and watercolours.
Image source: ‘Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visiting soldiers wounded in the Crimean War, at Brompton Hospital, Chatham. Coloured lithograph by J.A. Verner, 1855, after J. Tenniel. Tenniel, John, 1820-1914. Date 8 August 1855. Reference: 21331i’ from the Wellcome Collection.