Prince Arthur, later Duke of Connaught (1850-1942)

Glass plate negative of Photograph of a head and shoulder length portrait of Prince Arthur, later Duke of Connaught (1850-1942), facing towards the camera, his head turned slightly to the left. He gazes to the upper left. He leans his head on his arms which rest on a fabric covered table. The Prince is bare chested. 

The negative has been masked out, indicating the photographer's intention to crop the work to the smaller square. 

This is one of two portraits of Prince Arthur by Leonida Caldesi, who probably took inspiration either from the two putti from Raphael's 'Sistine Madonna' or from a photograph (RCIN 2906215) by Oscar Gustav Rejlander on the same theme, taken earlier the same year.

The glass plate negative has been photographed showing the coated side and therefore the image appears laterally reversed. A print of this work exists in the Royal Collection, RCIN 2900254.