Figurine
ca.1852 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Stars of the 19th century theatre were often celebrated in paintings, prints and drawings, and in ceramic figurines. Several Staffordshire factories specialised in moulded earthenware portrait figurines which were decorated by hand and sold cheaply. This represents the English actor-manager William Charles Macready (1793-1873) as the money lender Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, the rôle he first played at Covent Garden Theatre on 13th May 1823. The pose was copied from a contemporary engraving published in Tallis's Shakespeare Gallery, 1852-1853, showing Shylock by the Grand Canal in Venice in Act 1, scene iii.
The son of a provincial actor-manager, Macready made his first stage appearance at Birmingham as Romeo, and made his London debut in 1816 at Covent Garden. By 1819 he was firmly established as a leading actor and a rival to the great Edmund Kean. His Lear, Hamlet and Macbeth were especially acclaimed, prompting the critic Hazlitt to call him the best tragic actor of his day, with the exception of Kean. At various times Macready managed both Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres and worked hard to encourage excellence in his profession and to make many reforms in both acting and texts.
At least seven earthenware portrait figurines are known to have been copied from engravings in Tallis's Shakespeare Gallery, and these have become known as Tallis figures. They were made in many sizes and are thought to have been made by the Burslem potters Thomas Parr, who was working from 1852 until 1870, John Parr, who worked from 1870 to 1879, or the Kent & Parr firm, who worked from 1880 until 1894. These manufacturers passed the moulds to each other and the figures were produced throughout the Victorian period.
The son of a provincial actor-manager, Macready made his first stage appearance at Birmingham as Romeo, and made his London debut in 1816 at Covent Garden. By 1819 he was firmly established as a leading actor and a rival to the great Edmund Kean. His Lear, Hamlet and Macbeth were especially acclaimed, prompting the critic Hazlitt to call him the best tragic actor of his day, with the exception of Kean. At various times Macready managed both Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres and worked hard to encourage excellence in his profession and to make many reforms in both acting and texts.
At least seven earthenware portrait figurines are known to have been copied from engravings in Tallis's Shakespeare Gallery, and these have become known as Tallis figures. They were made in many sizes and are thought to have been made by the Burslem potters Thomas Parr, who was working from 1852 until 1870, John Parr, who worked from 1870 to 1879, or the Kent & Parr firm, who worked from 1880 until 1894. These manufacturers passed the moulds to each other and the figures were produced throughout the Victorian period.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Glazed earthenware |
Brief description | Figurine of William Charles Macready (1793-1873) as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, Haymarket Theatre, 1839. Possibly by Thomas Parr, Burslem, Staffordshire, c.1852. |
Physical description | Glazed earthenware figure of William Charles Macready as a grey bearded Shylock with long hair and a moustache, wearing a cream pill-box hat and long royal blue robe with elbow-length sleeves, white revers and two rows of gold buttons, standing with his legs apart on an oval integral base painted light grey on which the name SHYLOCK features in silver-grey paint. Gilt paint is used on his collar, robe edging and the key suspended from his white belt. He holds a tan-coloured staff in his right hand which rests on the ground. Green baize fabric has been glued to its base. |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions | SHYLOCK (Indented and painted) |
Credit line | Bequeathed by Almaza Gertrude Morton |
Object history | Shylock is the Jewish money lender in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice who lends Antonio 3000 ducats so that he can give Bassanio the money he needs to marry Portia. When Antonio's ships are wrecked and Antonio is unable to repay the debt, Shylock demands his pound of flesh and Portia disguises herself as an advocate to plead for mercy for Antonio. Macready first played Shylock at Covent Garden Theatre on 13th May 1823. This figurine was based on the Tallis Shakespeare Gallery engraving of Macready as Shylock standing by the Grand Canal in Venice. The print is titled 'Mr Macready as Shylock, Merchant of Venice, Act 1, scene 3.' It is modelled in the style of the Parr factory and can be found in two sizes. |
Production | Modelled after the engraving in Tallis' The Shakespeare Gallery (1852-1852) Attribution note: Known as a 'Tallis figure' because the pose was copied from an engraving in Tallis's Shakespeare Gallery, 1852-1853. |
Subjects depicted | |
Association | |
Literary reference | <i>The Merchant of Venice</i> |
Summary | Stars of the 19th century theatre were often celebrated in paintings, prints and drawings, and in ceramic figurines. Several Staffordshire factories specialised in moulded earthenware portrait figurines which were decorated by hand and sold cheaply. This represents the English actor-manager William Charles Macready (1793-1873) as the money lender Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, the rôle he first played at Covent Garden Theatre on 13th May 1823. The pose was copied from a contemporary engraving published in Tallis's Shakespeare Gallery, 1852-1853, showing Shylock by the Grand Canal in Venice in Act 1, scene iii. The son of a provincial actor-manager, Macready made his first stage appearance at Birmingham as Romeo, and made his London debut in 1816 at Covent Garden. By 1819 he was firmly established as a leading actor and a rival to the great Edmund Kean. His Lear, Hamlet and Macbeth were especially acclaimed, prompting the critic Hazlitt to call him the best tragic actor of his day, with the exception of Kean. At various times Macready managed both Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres and worked hard to encourage excellence in his profession and to make many reforms in both acting and texts. At least seven earthenware portrait figurines are known to have been copied from engravings in Tallis's Shakespeare Gallery, and these have become known as Tallis figures. They were made in many sizes and are thought to have been made by the Burslem potters Thomas Parr, who was working from 1852 until 1870, John Parr, who worked from 1870 to 1879, or the Kent & Parr firm, who worked from 1880 until 1894. These manufacturers passed the moulds to each other and the figures were produced throughout the Victorian period. |
Bibliographic references |
|
Collection | |
Accession number | S.199-1998 |
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 | February 22, 2005 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest