Princess and Pupil: new light on the sculpture of Susan Durant and Victoria, Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Prussia by Jonathan Marsden

Until recently the sculptor Susan Durant (1827-1873) was known only for having collaborated with her teacher Henri de Triqueti on the remarkable decorative scheme in the Albert Memorial Chapel at Windsor.  New studies have shown her in a fuller light as a successful and versatile artist.  Examination of Susan Durant’s dealings with the Royal Family (and in particular Victoria, Princess Royal, Crown Princess of Prussia) between 1864 and 1866 in the course of work on the new catalogue of European Sculpture in the Royal Collection has brought to light several unrecognized works by both Durant and the Princess herself.

Jonathan Marsden was Director of the Royal Collection and Surveyor of The Queen’s Works of Art from 2010 to 2017, having served as Deputy Surveyor since 1996.  He has published widely on sculpture and the decorative arts and contributed to numerous exhibitions as a curator and author.  He is currently completing the catalogue raisonné of sculpture in the Royal Collection for publication in 2024.  This catalogue, which covers ‘movable’ sculpture in all the royal palaces, includes 1,800 works ranging in date from the 1420s to the 1980s.