Fame at the tomb of Shakespeare
Embroidered Picture
1782-1800 (made)
1782-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
This embroidered picture was copied from a print published in 1782, which was based on a drawing by the Swiss portrait painter and decorative artist Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), who worked in London from the later 1760s to 1781. As the print was published in black and white, the embroiderer was free to choose her colours and stitches, and so demonstrate both her taste and skill. The picture may have been part of a decorative scheme (perhaps including other designs by Kauffmann) on walls, furniture or porcelain. Her designs had more widespread and diverse uses than those of any other decorative painter of the period.
Materials and Making
This style of embroidered picture was almost always worked in coloured silks on a white satin ground, with the design, taken from an engraving, sketched onto the background. The finer details of the figures, particularly the faces and hands, were painted directly onto the satin.
Subjects Depicted
The subject of the picture was intended both as tribute to Shakespeare's literary fame and as a fashionable expression of romantic sorrow. It was the first of various memorial subjects for embroideries in Britain, another popular one being the scene of Charlotte mourning over the grave of Werther, from the German poet Goethe's The Trials of Young Werther (first published in 1774). It may have been the original inspiration behind the memorial embroideries which became enormously popular in the USA, particularly after the death of George Washington in 1799.
This embroidered picture was copied from a print published in 1782, which was based on a drawing by the Swiss portrait painter and decorative artist Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), who worked in London from the later 1760s to 1781. As the print was published in black and white, the embroiderer was free to choose her colours and stitches, and so demonstrate both her taste and skill. The picture may have been part of a decorative scheme (perhaps including other designs by Kauffmann) on walls, furniture or porcelain. Her designs had more widespread and diverse uses than those of any other decorative painter of the period.
Materials and Making
This style of embroidered picture was almost always worked in coloured silks on a white satin ground, with the design, taken from an engraving, sketched onto the background. The finer details of the figures, particularly the faces and hands, were painted directly onto the satin.
Subjects Depicted
The subject of the picture was intended both as tribute to Shakespeare's literary fame and as a fashionable expression of romantic sorrow. It was the first of various memorial subjects for embroideries in Britain, another popular one being the scene of Charlotte mourning over the grave of Werther, from the German poet Goethe's The Trials of Young Werther (first published in 1774). It may have been the original inspiration behind the memorial embroideries which became enormously popular in the USA, particularly after the death of George Washington in 1799.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Fame at the tomb of Shakespeare (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Embroidered and painted silk, worked in feather stitch |
| Brief description | Embroidered picture depicting Fame at the tomb of Shakespeare |
| Physical description | Embroidered and painted silk picture showing Fame placing a wreath on Shakespeare's tomb |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
This type of embroidered picture, usually copied from prints, was made to demonstrate a girl's accomplishment in needlework. The face and other fine details were painted in. Literary and theatrical subjects painted by Angelica Kauffmann were popular as models and this design of 'Fame scattering flowers on Shakespeare's Tomb' was one of the most frequently copied.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Copied from a print by Francesco Bartolozzi (born in Florence, Italy, 1727, died in Lisbon, 1815), based on a painting by Angelica Kauffmann (born in Chur, Switzerland, 1741, died in Rome, 1807) |
| Summary | Object Type This embroidered picture was copied from a print published in 1782, which was based on a drawing by the Swiss portrait painter and decorative artist Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), who worked in London from the later 1760s to 1781. As the print was published in black and white, the embroiderer was free to choose her colours and stitches, and so demonstrate both her taste and skill. The picture may have been part of a decorative scheme (perhaps including other designs by Kauffmann) on walls, furniture or porcelain. Her designs had more widespread and diverse uses than those of any other decorative painter of the period. Materials and Making This style of embroidered picture was almost always worked in coloured silks on a white satin ground, with the design, taken from an engraving, sketched onto the background. The finer details of the figures, particularly the faces and hands, were painted directly onto the satin. Subjects Depicted The subject of the picture was intended both as tribute to Shakespeare's literary fame and as a fashionable expression of romantic sorrow. It was the first of various memorial subjects for embroideries in Britain, another popular one being the scene of Charlotte mourning over the grave of Werther, from the German poet Goethe's The Trials of Young Werther (first published in 1774). It may have been the original inspiration behind the memorial embroideries which became enormously popular in the USA, particularly after the death of George Washington in 1799. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 39-1874 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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