Eddison Collection
Figure Group
ca.1850 (made)
ca.1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Earthenware flatbacks and figurines for mantelpiece decoration were first produced in Staffordshire in the late 1830s. The earliest datable figures appear to be of Queen Victoria, and although a few figures were produced after her death in 1901, few appear to have been produced after 1905. During their heyday however they were produced in vast numbers, usually modelled after prints. They represented a wide variety of subjects but those of actors and actresses were especially popular.
This flatback represents King John of England (1167-1216), the youngest son of Henry II signing the Magna Carta. After a failed attempt to seize the crown from his brother King Richard, John was crowned in 1199, and at Runneymede in 1215 signed the Magna Carta, the basis of the English constitution. Shakespeare wrote The Life and Death of King John in 1596-8. Its production at the Princess's Theatre in 1852 with Charles Kean in the title role, may have been the impetus for the production of this figure group.
This flatback represents King John of England (1167-1216), the youngest son of Henry II signing the Magna Carta. After a failed attempt to seize the crown from his brother King Richard, John was crowned in 1199, and at Runneymede in 1215 signed the Magna Carta, the basis of the English constitution. Shakespeare wrote The Life and Death of King John in 1596-8. Its production at the Princess's Theatre in 1852 with Charles Kean in the title role, may have been the impetus for the production of this figure group.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Eddison Collection (named collection) |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed earthenware |
| Brief description | Flatback group of King John signing the Magna Carta. Earthenware, Staffordshire, c.1850. |
| Physical description | Flatback group of King John signing the Magna Carta, seated in a tent, with pages on each side. Cream, decorated in multi-colours - pink, green, orange, blue, green and grey The page girl on his right holds a container of feathers. Flags surmount the tent on either side. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996 |
| Summary | Earthenware flatbacks and figurines for mantelpiece decoration were first produced in Staffordshire in the late 1830s. The earliest datable figures appear to be of Queen Victoria, and although a few figures were produced after her death in 1901, few appear to have been produced after 1905. During their heyday however they were produced in vast numbers, usually modelled after prints. They represented a wide variety of subjects but those of actors and actresses were especially popular. This flatback represents King John of England (1167-1216), the youngest son of Henry II signing the Magna Carta. After a failed attempt to seize the crown from his brother King Richard, John was crowned in 1199, and at Runneymede in 1215 signed the Magna Carta, the basis of the English constitution. Shakespeare wrote The Life and Death of King John in 1596-8. Its production at the Princess's Theatre in 1852 with Charles Kean in the title role, may have been the impetus for the production of this figure group. |
| Bibliographic reference | Staffordshire Portraits of the Victorian Era by P.D. Gordon Pugh |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1034-1996 |
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| Record created | June 23, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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