Shylock
Figurine
ca.1880 (made)
ca.1880 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This figurine of Shylock, one of a series of Shakespeare characters, was made in Paris by the company of Edmé Samson, a famous copyist of pottery and porcelain. Samson established his factory in Paris in 1845, producing pieces inspired by and copied from the work of famous factories, including Meissen, Sèvres, Chelsea, Derby and all the major factories of England, France and Germany, as well as tin-glazed earthenware or faience. He claimed to mark all pieces with his own double 'S' mark as well as the mark of the original piece, but in many cases his own mark is missing.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Shylock (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed porcelain |
| Brief description | Figurine of Shylock in Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, Samson & Company copy of a Crown Derby figure. French, late 19th century |
| Physical description | Figurine of a bearded Shylock with long hair standing on a rococo-style base decorated with gold lines, wearing an ankle-length coat with a turquoise belt over a shirt with white, frilled sleeves, tan trousers and boots and a large black hat. He leans to his right, looks upwards to his left, has his right hand extended at waist height, and his left hand extended at chest height. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Shylock' (Inscribed in black on the base in cursive script.) |
| Credit line | Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996 |
| Subject depicted | |
| Literary reference | The Merchant of Venice |
| Summary | This figurine of Shylock, one of a series of Shakespeare characters, was made in Paris by the company of Edmé Samson, a famous copyist of pottery and porcelain. Samson established his factory in Paris in 1845, producing pieces inspired by and copied from the work of famous factories, including Meissen, Sèvres, Chelsea, Derby and all the major factories of England, France and Germany, as well as tin-glazed earthenware or faience. He claimed to mark all pieces with his own double 'S' mark as well as the mark of the original piece, but in many cases his own mark is missing. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.961-1996 |
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 24, 2006 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
