Tile
ca.1777 (Made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This tile showing Elizabeth Pope (Miss Younge) (c.1740-1779) as Zara in The Mourning Bride by William Congreve, is one of a series of late 18th-century tiles of actors and actresses produced in Liverpool by John Sadler (1720-1789). Sadler experimented with transfer-printing on white glazed delftware tiles, transferring images from engraved copper plates to tiles, using enamel colours fixed in low-temperature firing.
Actors and actresses could become big stars in the18th century, when theatres, concert halls and pleasure gardens were the major forms of public entertainment. Engravers regularly produced images of paintings of the most popular performers, so the ability to reproduce engravings on ceramics was a lucrative development. Since the engravings were transfer-printed, the original images appear on the tiles in reverse.
Elizabeth Younge was born in London and first appeared on the stage at Drury Lane Theatre in 1768 as Imogen in Cymbeline. She went on to become a favourite at Drury Lane Theatre where Garrick emploed her and she established herself as a leading actress in both comic and tragic roles. She left Drury Lane after the 1778-1779 season after a difference over her salary and joined the Covent Garden company. She married the young actor Alexander Pope in 1785 and acted with him in the provinces and in London.
Actors and actresses could become big stars in the18th century, when theatres, concert halls and pleasure gardens were the major forms of public entertainment. Engravers regularly produced images of paintings of the most popular performers, so the ability to reproduce engravings on ceramics was a lucrative development. Since the engravings were transfer-printed, the original images appear on the tiles in reverse.
Elizabeth Younge was born in London and first appeared on the stage at Drury Lane Theatre in 1768 as Imogen in Cymbeline. She went on to become a favourite at Drury Lane Theatre where Garrick emploed her and she established herself as a leading actress in both comic and tragic roles. She left Drury Lane after the 1778-1779 season after a difference over her salary and joined the Covent Garden company. She married the young actor Alexander Pope in 1785 and acted with him in the provinces and in London.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed earthenware |
| Brief description | Tile decorated with an image of Miss Younge (Elizabeth Pope) (c.1740-1797) as Zara in The Mourning Bride by William Congreve, after the engraving by an unknown engraver, after James Roberts, published in Bell's British Theatre, 1777. Tin-glazed earthenware Delft tile produced by James Sadler, Liverpool, 1777-1780. |
| Physical description | Square glazed cream earthenware tile, transfer-printed with a decorative border of trellis work, and symbolic theatrical objects on the right and left sides including a flaming torch, comedy and tragedy mask, and a lyre. There is a central image of Miss Younge as Zara, looking to her left, holding a chain in her right hand, her left hand down by her dress. In a gold-painted wooden frame. Blue-black underglaze colour. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | MISS YOUNGE in the character of ZARA |
| Credit line | Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996 |
| Production | The tile is printed with an image of Miss Younge as Zara, taken from an engraving by an unknown engraver, after the painting by James Roberts, published as a plate to Bell's British Theatre, 1777. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This tile showing Elizabeth Pope (Miss Younge) (c.1740-1779) as Zara in The Mourning Bride by William Congreve, is one of a series of late 18th-century tiles of actors and actresses produced in Liverpool by John Sadler (1720-1789). Sadler experimented with transfer-printing on white glazed delftware tiles, transferring images from engraved copper plates to tiles, using enamel colours fixed in low-temperature firing. Actors and actresses could become big stars in the18th century, when theatres, concert halls and pleasure gardens were the major forms of public entertainment. Engravers regularly produced images of paintings of the most popular performers, so the ability to reproduce engravings on ceramics was a lucrative development. Since the engravings were transfer-printed, the original images appear on the tiles in reverse. Elizabeth Younge was born in London and first appeared on the stage at Drury Lane Theatre in 1768 as Imogen in Cymbeline. She went on to become a favourite at Drury Lane Theatre where Garrick emploed her and she established herself as a leading actress in both comic and tragic roles. She left Drury Lane after the 1778-1779 season after a difference over her salary and joined the Covent Garden company. She married the young actor Alexander Pope in 1785 and acted with him in the provinces and in London. |
| Bibliographic reference | A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers and other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800, vol. 12. Published by Southern Illinois University Press, 1993. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.622-1997 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | November 17, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
