The marriage of Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh to Grand Duchess Maria, the only surviving daughter of Alexander II, took place in the Palace Cathedral on 23 January 1874. The bride and bridegroom stand holding lighted candles, whilst the Archbishop, resplendent in his official robes, holds a cross above them. Maria’s parents, Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna, stand to the right of the window, while the young Grand Duke Nicholas, later Nicholas II, can be glimpsed in front of his mother, Maria Feodorovna; to her right is her sister, the Princess of Wales, and the Crown Princess of Prussia (1840–1901). The Prince of Wales, clearly visible in profile, in a striking scarlet military jacket, was Queen Victoria’s representative. The Orthodox ceremony was conducted by the Metropolitan Archbishop, and was followed by an English service, presided over by Dean Stanley, which took place in the Alexander Hall.

The commissioning of Chevalier to travel to St Petersburg to record the event was managed by Prince Alfred, who had first encountered Chevalier during his world tour of 1867, and had invited the artist to return with him to London. He subsequently travelled with Affie on his tour of the East on HMS Galatea. The artist, whose mother was Russian, had trained in Switzerland and worked in Australia and New Zealand.

Just days after the wedding the Duke of Edinburgh wrote to his mother: ’I hope to [be] able to send with this by tomorrows messenger two sketches by Chevalier & in one of the Greek ceremony by using the little additional slips you will be able to follow the different parts of the service’ (RCINs 920784-85). The Queen chose to commission a painting of the Orthodox ceremony – the intimate setting, soft candlelight and abundance of fabric offering a richer and more cohesive composition than the vast open space of the Alexander Hall. By July 1875, Chevalier had forwarded a ‘rough sketch in oil of the Ceremony of the marriage’, requesting the Queen’s permission to enlarge the ‘future picture a triffle [sic] […] so as to enable me to do full justice to so fine and important a subject'. His request was accepted; however, he struggled to complete the painting in time for submission to the Royal Academy, and later to gain the Queen’s approval. He was still working on it ‘unremitingly [sic] and against time’ on 24 March 1875, and after the exhibition had closed. It was delivered to Windsor on 22 November 1875, and placed in the Corridor, but removed to Buckingham Palace in 1901. It was also agreed that the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales could buy ‘whatever Pictures they might fancy’, based on studies of scenes the artist had witnessed.

Chevalier’s oeuvre is diverse, encompassing illustration, cartoons and landscape painting; however, the success of this painting lies in its illustrative qualities and the artist’s strong sense of design. The architectural interior, with its rich interplay of arches and domed ceiling, acts as a stage on which to present the bridal couple bathed in winter light. A wonderful interplay of gilt swags, the elegant chandelier and details like the snow settling on the window add liveliness and interest to the scene. However, it lacks the accomplishment and sophistication of the painting of the marriage of Nicholas II by Laurits Tuxen, set in the same chapel 20 years later (RCIN 404465).

Text adapted from Russia: Art, Royalty & the Romanovs, London, 2018