VON REISBERG SERIES | PORTRAITURE AS CONTACT: Official Representations of British Monarchy Abroad with Eugene Barilo von Reisberg

Official portraits of Queen Victoria were the first point of contact between the monarch and the millions of her culturally and religiously diverse subjects. As an allegorical embodiment of the British Empire, they also became one of the veritable cornerstones of national identity.

The lecture examines the complex iconography of official royal portraiture and investigates the procedures underpinning the dissemination and distribution of royal images, which came to play an important part in Queen Victoria’s performance of her royal duties and in the continued visibility of the British Monarchy.

Whatever you do, you must not look at Her Majesty

To coincide with the launch of the forthcoming film Victoria & Abdul starring Dame Judy Dench, slated for release in Australia on 22 September 2017, join Eugene Barilo von Reisberg as he introduces you to of some of the most famous 19th century portraits that look at Queen Victoria.

Discover how the portraits of Queen Victoria reflect the social changes of this fast-paced epoch, and how the artists of the era adapted the genre of portraiture to changing demands and divergent artists and royal demand.

Drawn from public museums, royal palaces, and private collections from around the world you will discover prominent portrait painters who captured Queen Victoria in her copious royal commissions.

Gain glimpses into the fascinating lives of the gifted artists and the colourful personality of Her Majesty; learn the secret language of portraiture; and uncover the covert messages shared between the portraits and the viewers.

DR EUGENE BARILO VON REISBERG is a Melbourne-based lecturer, researcher, and art consultant.  He has completed a doctoral dissertation on Franz Xaver Winterhalter, the 19th century elite portrait specialist, at the University of Melbourne, and lectures and publishes widely on 19th century art, history, and culture. He has presented lectures at The Johnston Collection since 2011.

image:Portrait of Queen Victoria (1819-1901), by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-73), 1843, oil on canvas, Collection of HM Queen Elizabeth II (RCIN 404388).