Princess Gouramma (1841-64), the daughter of the deposed Rajah of Coorg, travelled to London in 1852. She was presented to Queen Victoria and accommodated at Buckingham Palace, where on 30 June she was baptised as a Christian in the Private Chapel. Queen Victoria was one of her godparents. The princess later married Colonel John Campbell, but died of consumption after the birth of their first child, a daughter, in 1864.

This marble bust, painted with watercolour to make it appear more lifelike and perhaps to emphasise the sitter's ethnicity, incorporates a prominent crucifix as an indication of her adopted religion. The painter, W.H. Millais (1828-99), was the elder brother of the more famous artist John Everett Millais.

Text adapted from Victoria & Albert: Art & Love.