A watercolour and chalks drawing of a two sheepdogs in a Highland landscape, with a plaid and bonnet upon a rock behind them. Inscribed 'Young Noble' and 'Bess', and signed and dated 'Gourlay Steell RSA / 1884'. The verso of the frame is inscribed 'Young Noble & Bess/ Sketched at Windsor by/ Gourlay Steell.../84'.

Gourlay Steell was Animal Painter to the Queen for Scotland from 1874. This is one of three drawings of different groupings of Rolfe, Noble and Nellie (see also RCIN 452481; the third drawing is untraced), dogs owned by Queen Victoria. Both of these works, along with two other animal drawings by Steell (923094 and 923095) remain in their original frames, which were made by Doig and McKechnie of Edinburgh.

Young Noble died in 1887. This work hung in the Kennels at Windsor until at least 1908.