Original design from Duke of Wellington’s funeral carriage to be sold

An original 1852 design for the Duke of Wellington’s funeral carriage will be offered at Cheffins as part of The Fine Sale on 25th March. Created by the artist Richard Redgrave for Prince Albert, the 26 x 35cm drawing is expected to sell for between £5,000 and £8,000 and has remained in private hands since 2005, having been purchased for £7,440.

The drawing, executed in pencil with white highlights, is being sold by leading mural artist Graham Rust, a kinsman of Richard Redgrave. It represents the first approved concept for the monumental funeral car created following Wellington’s death in September 1852 and is inscribed: “First idea of the Wellington Funeral car / this is the drawing shewn to H.R.H. Prince Albert & approved by him.”

Cast from more than 18 tons of bronze taken from cannons captured at the Battle of Waterloo, the finished funeral carriage was among the largest ever constructed. Measuring 27ft long, 10ft wide and 17ft high, it was pulled through London by twelve black brewery horses. Prince Albert personally oversaw its creation, insisting that it should serve as a powerful symbol of British military achievement and statesmanship.

Redgrave produced the design at short notice after earlier proposals were rejected. According to his memoir, when the sketch was presented at Windsor, Prince Albert immediately approved it, declaring, “This is the thing!” The carriage later became one of the most talked-about elements of Wellington’s state funeral, which drew an estimated 1.5 million people to the procession route and was funded by Queen Victoria at a cost of £100,000, the equivalent of circa £16.5 million today.

Public reaction to the carriage was divided. Queen Victoria recorded her admiration for its grandeur, while Charles Dickens famously criticised it for its ugliness. During the procession, one wheel became stuck at The Mall and had to be freed by around sixty policemen. After the funeral, the carriage was stored in the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral before being transferred to Stratfield Saye in 1981.

Graham Rust, the seller, comments: “I acquired the drawing at auction in 2005, after an initiative by my distant cousin, Evelyn Redgrave, the great-great granddaughter of Richard Redgrave, following the death of her father Gilbert Francis. As a long-standing collector of Redgrave’s work, and with the family connection, I felt it was important to preserve it. It has hung in my library ever since at my house in Suffolk.”

Brett Tryner, Director at Cheffins, said: “The Duke of Wellington’s state funeral was one of the defining events of the 19th century, and this drawing is central to that story. Richard Redgrave was a highly respected Royal Academician and an influential figure in Victorian art and design, whose works are increasingly sought after at auction. We are delighted to be offering this exceptional piece, consigned by Graham Rust, whose own artistic career is internationally recognised.”

Mr Rust adds: “I am in the process of downsizing so that I can focus on my current commissions. While it has been a great pleasure to live with this drawing, it now feels like the right moment to let it pass to a new custodian.”

Graham Redgrave-Rust was born in Hertfordshire in 1942 and trained at Regent Street Art School, the Central School of Arts and Crafts, London, and the National Academy of Art in New York. He is internationally renowned for his murals and ceiling paintings, with major commissions in the UK, Europe, the United States and the Middle East, and is also an acclaimed book illustrator.

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