Head of Peter Pan thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Head of Peter Pan

Model
ca. 1910 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This and museum numbers A.6-1991 to A.11-1991 are the original plaster models for some of the component parts of the bronze figure of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, made by George Frampton. This figure was commissioned anonymously by Sir James M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, and secretly erected on 29th and 30th April 1912, so that its appearance the next day would seem magical, and perpetuate the Peter Pan enigma.

Peter Pan is the main character of the story The Adventures of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. The story is of a boy who refuses to grow up and creates his own world of Indians, pirates, and fairies. Peter Pan was produced for the stage in 1904 but appeared as a narrative story only in 1911.

Sir George James Frampton (1860-1928) was an English sculptor, medallist and decorative artist. He worked in an architects office before being apprenticed to a firm of architectural masons. He studied modelling a the London School of Art under W.S. Frith, and in 1881 entered the Royal Academy Schools, where he won a gold medal and travelling scholarship in 1887. Like Lanteri he was involved in the exterior decoration of the Museum, executing the spandrel reliefs of Truth and Beauty above the Main Entrance.
Frampton was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Academy in 1894 and exhibited regularly across Europe, contributing to the Munich and Vienna Secession movements.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleHead of Peter Pan (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Plaster
Brief description
Model, plaster, head of Peter Pan, by George Frampton, English, ca. 1910
Physical description
Minor chips of the surface of the plaster; some damage to back of the collar. An integral dowel extends from the neck. There is a small hole between the lips where the pipes would be fitted.
Dimensions
  • Height: 41cm
Credit line
Given by Meredith Frampton
Object history
This and A.6-1991 to A.11-1991 are the original plaster models for some of the component parts of the bronze figure of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. This figure was commissioned anonymously by Sir James M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, and secretly erected on 29th and 30th April 1912, so that its appearance the next day would seem magical, and perpetuate the Peter Pan enigma.

Given by the late Meredith Frampton, son of the sculptor, in 1985, though not formally accessioned until 1991.

Subjects depicted
Literary references
  • Peter Pan
Summary
This and museum numbers A.6-1991 to A.11-1991 are the original plaster models for some of the component parts of the bronze figure of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, made by George Frampton. This figure was commissioned anonymously by Sir James M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, and secretly erected on 29th and 30th April 1912, so that its appearance the next day would seem magical, and perpetuate the Peter Pan enigma.

Peter Pan is the main character of the story The Adventures of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. The story is of a boy who refuses to grow up and creates his own world of Indians, pirates, and fairies. Peter Pan was produced for the stage in 1904 but appeared as a narrative story only in 1911.

Sir George James Frampton (1860-1928) was an English sculptor, medallist and decorative artist. He worked in an architects office before being apprenticed to a firm of architectural masons. He studied modelling a the London School of Art under W.S. Frith, and in 1881 entered the Royal Academy Schools, where he won a gold medal and travelling scholarship in 1887. Like Lanteri he was involved in the exterior decoration of the Museum, executing the spandrel reliefs of Truth and Beauty above the Main Entrance.
Frampton was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Academy in 1894 and exhibited regularly across Europe, contributing to the Munich and Vienna Secession movements.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Bilbey, Diane and Trusted, Marjorie. British Sculpture 1470-2000. A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2002, p. 266, cat.no. 403
  • Cavanagh, T., Public Schulpture of Liverpool, Liverpool, 1997, pp. 193-4
Collection
Accession number
A.5-1991

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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