King John
Figurine
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. Images of royalty proved a lucrative market and during the 1840s there were countless other royal figures issued by Staffordshire pottery firms, celebrating, for example, Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert in 1840, and the birth of the royal children. Production of earthenware figures continued throughout Victoria's lifetime, but although they were still made 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. Since they were produced in moulds, they were relatively cheap and easy to make.
This figurine represents King John of England (1167-1216), the youngest son of Henry II, famous for signing the Magna Carta, the basis of the English constitution. Shakespeare wrote his play The Life and Death of King John in 1596-98 and 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.
This figurine represents King John of England (1167-1216), the youngest son of Henry II, famous for signing the Magna Carta, the basis of the English constitution. Shakespeare wrote his play The Life and Death of King John in 1596-98 and 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.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | King John (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed porcelain |
| Brief description | Figurine of King John of England (1167-1216). Hard paste porcelain, Staffordshire, ca.1850 |
| Physical description | Glazed ceramic figurine representing King John. He is sitting on a throne featuring a lion rampant on the rear of the back-rest. The throne is on an integral cream base. The king has grey hair and a beard. He rests his left elbow on the arm of the throne and leans his head on his left hand; his right arm rests on the right arm of the throne. Both arms of the throne are covered by his purple cloak. He wears a green floor-length robe tied with a russet-brown cord sash, the purple ceremonial cloak and a gold crown. The over-glaze green and purple colours are rubbed in places revealing the cream body beneath. The word 'King' has been rubbed away from the base where the words 'King John' were written in over-glaze gilt enamel. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | ... John (Originally 'King John', some letters rubbed away.) |
| Credit line | Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996 |
| Subject depicted | |
| 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. Images of royalty proved a lucrative market and during the 1840s there were countless other royal figures issued by Staffordshire pottery firms, celebrating, for example, Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert in 1840, and the birth of the royal children. Production of earthenware figures continued throughout Victoria's lifetime, but although they were still made 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. Since they were produced in moulds, they were relatively cheap and easy to make. This figurine represents King John of England (1167-1216), the youngest son of Henry II, famous for signing the Magna Carta, the basis of the English constitution. Shakespeare wrote his play The Life and Death of King John in 1596-98 and 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. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.1054-1996 |
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| Record created | July 3, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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