Figurine
ca.1765 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This figurine of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is based on the life-size white marble statue by Peter Scheemakers in the monument designed by William Kent, erected in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in 1740, 124 years after Shakespeare's death, sponsored by the Earl of Burlington, Dr Mead, Alexander Pope and Mr Martin. Shakespeare is buried in Stratford upon Avon and although some time after his death there were suggestions that his remains should be moved from Stratford to Westminster Abbey, the idea was abandoned and the monument was built. The carved heads on the pedestal of the statue are of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry V and Richard III, and Shakespeare is shown pointing to a scroll inscribed with Prospero's Act IV lines from The Tempest:
The Cloud capt Tow’rs, The Gorgeous Palaces, The Solemn Temples,
The Great Globe itself, Yea all which it Inherit, Shall Dissolve;
And like the baseless Fabrick of a Vision, Leave not a wrack behind.
The speech is perhaps better known with the words that begin the passage : 'Our revels now are ended'. On the original monument the words are in Latin.
The Derby factory produced three versions of this figure in the late 1750s to mid-1760s, often sold as a pair with one of John Milton. There was a glazed version on a rectangular base, and one in biscuit porcelain. Its direct source was probably a reduced-sized plaster of the sculpture sold in London by John Cheere.
The Cloud capt Tow’rs, The Gorgeous Palaces, The Solemn Temples,
The Great Globe itself, Yea all which it Inherit, Shall Dissolve;
And like the baseless Fabrick of a Vision, Leave not a wrack behind.
The speech is perhaps better known with the words that begin the passage : 'Our revels now are ended'. On the original monument the words are in Latin.
The Derby factory produced three versions of this figure in the late 1750s to mid-1760s, often sold as a pair with one of John Milton. There was a glazed version on a rectangular base, and one in biscuit porcelain. Its direct source was probably a reduced-sized plaster of the sculpture sold in London by John Cheere.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, glazed, enamelled and gilt |
| Brief description | Figurine of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), based on the life-size white marble statue by Peter Scheemakers in the monument designed by William Kent and erected in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in 1740. Porcelain, Derby Factory, c.1765. |
| Physical description | Polychrome glazed Derby figure with gold overglaze of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), wearing fanciful Van Dyke dress of white tunic and knee breeches with detail outlined in overglaze gold, a pink-lined cape, white stockings and ribbon-laced shoes, is standing with his right leg crossed over his left, standing on a scrolled base, also decorated with gold lines. He leans his right arm on books piled on a pedestal, while his left hand points to the scroll unfurled from the pedestal on which can be read lines from Prospero's Act 1V sc.i speech in The Tempest 'Our revels now are ended.'. The column of the pedestal is decorated with the heads of Henry V, Richard 111 and Queen Elizabeth 1. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | The Cloud capt Tow’rs, The Gorgeous Palaces, The Solemn Temples,
The Great Globe itself, Yea all which it Inherit, Shall Dissolve;
And like the baseless Fabrick of a Vision, Leave not a wreck behind. |
| Credit line | Purchased from Delomosne & Son Ltd. |
| Object history | A figurine of the poet Milton is a similar pose was originally produced as a companion piece to this. |
| Production | Based on the sculpture by Peter Scheemakers (1681-1761) in the monument designed by William Kent (1685-1748) and erected in Westminster Abbey in 1740. Its direct source was probably a reduced-sized plaster, such as those stocked by John Cheere in London. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Association | |
| Summary | This figurine of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is based on the life-size white marble statue by Peter Scheemakers in the monument designed by William Kent, erected in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in 1740, 124 years after Shakespeare's death, sponsored by the Earl of Burlington, Dr Mead, Alexander Pope and Mr Martin. Shakespeare is buried in Stratford upon Avon and although some time after his death there were suggestions that his remains should be moved from Stratford to Westminster Abbey, the idea was abandoned and the monument was built. The carved heads on the pedestal of the statue are of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry V and Richard III, and Shakespeare is shown pointing to a scroll inscribed with Prospero's Act IV lines from The Tempest: The Cloud capt Tow’rs, The Gorgeous Palaces, The Solemn Temples, The Great Globe itself, Yea all which it Inherit, Shall Dissolve; And like the baseless Fabrick of a Vision, Leave not a wrack behind. The speech is perhaps better known with the words that begin the passage : 'Our revels now are ended'. On the original monument the words are in Latin. The Derby factory produced three versions of this figure in the late 1750s to mid-1760s, often sold as a pair with one of John Milton. There was a glazed version on a rectangular base, and one in biscuit porcelain. Its direct source was probably a reduced-sized plaster of the sculpture sold in London by John Cheere. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.76-1988 |
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 | January 27, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
