Royal Doulton’s limited edition Young Queens collection portrays each of the monarchs at a moment early in their reign. In creating the designs for each study, artist Neil Faulkner has researched period details such as costume, hairstyle and jewelry and combined these with a regal pose that captures the spirit of each Queen. Royal Doulton artists have interpreted his designs using the latest ceramic decorative techniques and colours to create masterpieces of sculptural art.
This figure of Queen Elizabeth I, inspired by portraits by artists such as Nicholas Hilliard, depicting her in a typical costume of the age. The long gown is made from sumptuous velvet decorated with rich embroidery, jewels at the neckline and a long V-shaped bodice. The frilled collar was made from fine linen and shaped into crisp folds with starch and heated irons. The deep saffron yellow dress was one of the most expensive colors to produce in Elizabethan times.
Queen Victoria’s costume is inspired by a gown she wore on a state visit to France in 1855, when, as the guest of Napoleon III she visited Paris and attended a grand ball in Versailles held in her, and her husband, Prince Albert’s, honour. The beautiful pale lemon dress is decorated with swathes of flowers around the full skirts and the design including roses, forget-me-nots and lilies, continues on the ribbons that trim the delicate lacy bodice. Neil Faulkner drew the intricate floral designs for the figurine after studying the original dress, which is now part of the collection of the Museum of London.
Queen Elizabeth II’s costume is inspired by a gown designed by Norman Hartnell and called The Flowers of the Fields of France, which she wore on a state visit to Paris in 1957. This beautiful ivory satin dress is lavishly embroidered with gold thread, gold and mother of pearl beads, faceted glass, and pearls creating a design of miniature bees, grass, wheat and wild flowers. A large bow is a dramatic and decorative feature at the back of the gown. Neil Faulkner has portrayed Queen Elizabeth II wearing one of her favourite suites of jewelry.
