Not on display

Wedgwood circus plate decorated by Thérèse Lessore

Plate
1923 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This Wedgwood plate was decorated by Thérèse Lessore who became the third wife of the artist Walter Sickert in 1926. Despite her French name, she was born in Brighton and studied art at London's Slade School. She painted landscapes, interiors, and circus scenes, as well as producing designs for textiles. She was part of the Bloomsbury set as was her first husband, the painter Bernard Adeney, and Walter Sickert who wrote of her art in 1914: 'Her pictures are seemingly not painted from models pretending to do certain things. By some strange alchemy of genius, the essentials of their being and movement are torn from them, and presented in ordered and rhythmical arrangement of the highest technical brevity and beauty.'

Thérèse Lessore's interest in painting for pottery design was not surprising since her grandfather was Emile Lessore, a free-hand decorator for Wedgwood Potteries, and her father was the artist Jules Lessore, who also painted pottery. This design was probably produced in the 1930s when circus was enjoying great popularity due to Bertram Mills' grand annual circuses at Olympia.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleWedgwood circus plate decorated by Thérèse Lessore (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Glazed earthenwre
Brief description
Glazed plate decorated with circus images by Thérèse Lessore, Wedgwood, 1923
Physical description
Plate decorated in underglaze blue with an image of two acrobatic clowns leaning forwards in a circus ring, a third clown in the air between them, knees tucked under his chest as if he's just jumped over them from the ramp by their side. With a darker blue for the rim decoration.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 28.8cm
  • Depth: 2.2cm
  • Depth: 9.4cm (Note: ? possibly on a stand)
Marks and inscriptions
  • TL monogram on base in blue (Monogram of Thérèse Lessore)
  • Impressed mark on base WEDGWOOD
Credit line
Antony Hippisley Coxe Collection
Object history
Exhibited in the V&A circus display, Gallery 104A, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the foundation of circus, April 2018 to February 2019
Subject depicted
Summary
This Wedgwood plate was decorated by Thérèse Lessore who became the third wife of the artist Walter Sickert in 1926. Despite her French name, she was born in Brighton and studied art at London's Slade School. She painted landscapes, interiors, and circus scenes, as well as producing designs for textiles. She was part of the Bloomsbury set as was her first husband, the painter Bernard Adeney, and Walter Sickert who wrote of her art in 1914: 'Her pictures are seemingly not painted from models pretending to do certain things. By some strange alchemy of genius, the essentials of their being and movement are torn from them, and presented in ordered and rhythmical arrangement of the highest technical brevity and beauty.'

Thérèse Lessore's interest in painting for pottery design was not surprising since her grandfather was Emile Lessore, a free-hand decorator for Wedgwood Potteries, and her father was the artist Jules Lessore, who also painted pottery. This design was probably produced in the 1930s when circus was enjoying great popularity due to Bertram Mills' grand annual circuses at Olympia.
Associated object
S.21-1992 (Object)
Collection
Accession number
S.22-1992

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

Record createdJune 14, 2006
Record URL
Download as: JSON