Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Display area east of Grand Entrance at base of stairs to room 62

Puck, from A Midsummer Night's Dream

Statue
ca. 1847 - ca. 1860 (carved)
Artist/Maker
Lough, John Graham (sculptor)
Place of origin
England (made)

Lough specialised in works based on characters and themes in plays by William Shakespeare (1564-1616). A bronze depicting Duncan's horses devouring one another, from Macbeth, a marble figure of Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a marble figure of Jaques from As You Like It are also in the Museum's collections. In early July 1847 Lough opened his studio to exhibit several of his Shakespearian sculptures. According to a report in the Literary Gazette of the exhibition, Puck 'is truly the merriest and most mischievous of sprites. His head is young in form, but old in frolic, and cunning, and archness. That fellow cannot move without a trick; and how he stands, the mushroom Colossus, not of Rhodes, but of a hundred ways to fun and knavery. He is the quintessence of shrewdness and selfish whimsicality. It is a happy performance, and the true representative of all we fancy in our fairy love.'


Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Portraits
Object type
Statue
TitlePuck, from <i>A Midsummer Night's Dream</i> (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Marble
Brief description
Statue, marble, 'Puck' from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', by John Graham Lough, ca. 1847-1860, English
Physical description
Puck stands, draped in a cloth and holding a scroll. A dog-like animal lies between his feet. Signed.
Dimensions
  • Height: 122cm
  • Weight: 150kg
Marks and inscriptions
'J. C. LOUGH' (Signature; At the front of the integral base)
Credit line
Bequeathed by William Minshull Bigg
Object history
Bequeathed by William Minshull Bigg in 1867, together with V&A Mus. nos 324-1867 and 325-1867.
An example of the model for this sculpture was exhibited in the Great Exhibition of 1851 and at an exhibition in the Guildhall London in the same year (see the official catalogue of the 1851 Exhibition, and the "Builder", Nov 1851, p. 743, respectively).
Subject depicted
Puck
Literary referenceMidsummer Night's Dream
Summary
Lough specialised in works based on characters and themes in plays by William Shakespeare (1564-1616). A bronze depicting Duncan's horses devouring one another, from Macbeth, a marble figure of Titania from A Midsummer Night's Dream, and a marble figure of Jaques from As You Like It are also in the Museum's collections. In early July 1847 Lough opened his studio to exhibit several of his Shakespearian sculptures. According to a report in the Literary Gazette of the exhibition, Puck 'is truly the merriest and most mischievous of sprites. His head is young in form, but old in frolic, and cunning, and archness. That fellow cannot move without a trick; and how he stands, the mushroom Colossus, not of Rhodes, but of a hundred ways to fun and knavery. He is the quintessence of shrewdness and selfish whimsicality. It is a happy performance, and the true representative of all we fancy in our fairy love.'
Bibliographic references
  • Lough, J., Merson, E. John Graham Lough. Woodbridge, 1987, pp. 36-59, 84 fig. 17
  • Cf. Clay, A., et al. British Sculpture in the Lady Lever Art Gallery National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside, Liverpool, 1999, p. 81.
  • Boase, T. S. R. John Graham Lough: a Transitional Sculptor. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institute. 23, 1960, pp. 277-290
  • Cf. Official catalogue of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, 1851
  • Cf. The Builder, November, 1851, p. 743
  • Bilbey, Diane, Trusted, Marjorie. British Sculpture, 1470 to 2000: a Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 2002, pp 324-5, cat. no. 492
  • Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1867. Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 27
  • Gunnis, R., Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851, (revised edition, first published London 1953), London, 1968, p. 244
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
323-1867

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Record createdSeptember 5, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O67316/puck-from-ia-midsummer-nights-statue-lough-john-graham/
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