Plaque
ca.1900 (painted)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This roundel depicts John Philip Kemble (1757-1823) as Rolla in the melodrama Pizarro, a great success when first staged at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 1799. Adapted by Richard Brinsley Sheridan from the play The Spaniard in Peru by the German Augustus von Kotzebue, the plot concerned the Spaniard Francisco Pizarro waging a war of conquest against the Inca Empire of Peru. The play caught the imagination of Georgian audiences, who particularly appreciated the exotic sets and costumes, and the heroic Inca, Rolla, played by Kemble, who dies protecting the infant son of the Spaniard Alonzo and his Inca wife. The Prime Minister, William Pitt, declared Kemble as Rolla as the noblest actor he had ever seen. The Museum has two similar roundels, each showing a different moment in Rolla's rescue of the infant.
Kemble was one of the most celebrated actors of his day and his image was often seen in paintings and engravings. Like his sister Sarah Siddons, with whom he frequently appeared, his style was best suited to tragedy. He managed Drury Lane from 1788 until 1803, and Covent Garden from 1803 until 1808 when it burnt down, opening the new Covent Garden in 1809.
Kemble was one of the most celebrated actors of his day and his image was often seen in paintings and engravings. Like his sister Sarah Siddons, with whom he frequently appeared, his style was best suited to tragedy. He managed Drury Lane from 1788 until 1803, and Covent Garden from 1803 until 1808 when it burnt down, opening the new Covent Garden in 1809.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Oil painting on glass and alabaster |
| Brief description | Painting on glass in alabaster frame depicting John Philip Kemble (1757-1823) as Rolla rescuing the infant child of Cora, from Sheridan's play Pizarro, or the Death of Rolla, Drury Lane Theatre, 1799. Italian. Anonymous. Early 19th century. |
| Physical description | Painting on convex glass of John Philip Kemble in the character of Rolla crossing a bridge over a waterfall, dressed in a white knee-length tunic with a brown cape, and wearing sandals cross-laced up the calves. He carries Cora's child under his left arm and holds the rope rail of the bridge with his right hand. Rocks to either side of him and palm trees to the left are also painted on the glass. A background scene of misty mountains above a river has been painted on the alabaster backing, giving the object a three-dimensional effect. Framed in a beige alabaster frame, cracked in four places. The bridge on which Rolla is standing can be seen in the background of the companion plaque (S.127-1992). |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'Robert Horner, 38, Tudor Rd. Kingston-on-T(hames)' (Label; Typescript; Attached to the alabaster backing.) |
| Credit line | Given by the Ashmolean Museum |
| Object history | The subject of this painting relates to Sheridan's play Pizarro, taken from the original by Kotzebue. In the play Rolla rescues the infant son of Cora, but is mortally wounded in the effort. The play ends with a grand funeral march, in which the dead body of Rolla is carried to the tomb. The play was a great success in England when it was performed at Drury Lane Theatre in 1799. A note on the back of the companion plaque (S.127-1992) says: 'Mother got these in Italy in 1908'. They were given to the Ashmolean Museum by The Reverend Iain Campbell of Lincoln, Nabraska, and passed to the V&A by the Ashmolean in May 1991. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | This roundel depicts John Philip Kemble (1757-1823) as Rolla in the melodrama Pizarro, a great success when first staged at London's Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 1799. Adapted by Richard Brinsley Sheridan from the play The Spaniard in Peru by the German Augustus von Kotzebue, the plot concerned the Spaniard Francisco Pizarro waging a war of conquest against the Inca Empire of Peru. The play caught the imagination of Georgian audiences, who particularly appreciated the exotic sets and costumes, and the heroic Inca, Rolla, played by Kemble, who dies protecting the infant son of the Spaniard Alonzo and his Inca wife. The Prime Minister, William Pitt, declared Kemble as Rolla as the noblest actor he had ever seen. The Museum has two similar roundels, each showing a different moment in Rolla's rescue of the infant. Kemble was one of the most celebrated actors of his day and his image was often seen in paintings and engravings. Like his sister Sarah Siddons, with whom he frequently appeared, his style was best suited to tragedy. He managed Drury Lane from 1788 until 1803, and Covent Garden from 1803 until 1808 when it burnt down, opening the new Covent Garden in 1809. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.126-1992 |
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| Record created | October 9, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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