Queen Victoria’s sketchbook, which was expected to fetch between £5,000 to £10,000 ($5,989 to $11,978) at auction, is now slated to return to the Royal Collection Trust. The news was announced by Charterhouse Auctioneers in Sherborne, Dorset, which was selling the work.
A family who owned the sketches was auctioning the book. They struck a deal with the Royal Collection Trust, which houses more than 4,000 works by the late monarch at St. James’ Palace in London, for an undisclosed sum.
The book contains the monarch’s monograph on the cover. It is filled with pencil and watercolor drawings made by the queen between 1885 and 1886. The queen’s sketches capture many of the landscapes that she saw while traveling.
Earlier this year, two floral paintings by Queen Victoria were up for sale at Hansons Auctioneers in London.
Queen Victoria is not the only royal with a passion for art. It’s a hobby that King Charles III, the reigning monarch, also enjoys in his free time.
Below, a look at what’s inside Queen Victoria’s sketchbook.