Carved wooden marionette from the Tiller troupe. Stock character representing the Commedia dell'Arte character Pantalone, or Pantaloon. Made by the Tiller family circa 1870 to 1890.

Carved wooden marionette; a Pantalone figure, the face painted with an ivory base coat with a little pink added; black painted pupils with red dots in the corner of both eyes, and finely painted eyelashes and age lines, with a full carved beard, painted dark grey, and carved hair in a Pantalone tricorne style, also painted grey. He has open hands. He is wearing a dark orange-red all-in-one suit of winceyette, machine-stitched, with decorative tucking on the bodice and legs and gold fringed braid at the collar, cuffs and ankles. It is openable from neck to bottom and there are hook and eye fastenings at the wrists and knees. The ribbed edging at the top indicates that this was cut down from an old garment (possibly pyjamas?) Over this he wears a long black robe of a modern synthetic fabric. His arms are covered with a dark blue fine cotton material, with small white spots, possibly from a ca.1900 costume.

The head is attached to the body by interlocking staples. Slight hollow between shoulders and a staple, centre back, between shoulders. Body of a cotton tube, slightly padded, over three wooden sections - flat yoke, pelvis and thin oval section, very flexible, as if for contraction in a contortionist trick puppet. Elbow joint - double row of stitching across a cotton tube (typical of Tiller figures) and the upper part of the arm is stuffed and also stitched across just below the tacks attaching it to the shoulders. Lower leg sections have simplified shaping at the top of the calf and at the knee, and there is a repaired joint at the right hip; parts of the legs are possible not original. The legs are attached by leather loops to staples in pelvis section; knee jointed by a tongue from the upper leg into the lower leg and flexible leg joints, using strips of leather slotted into the end of the leg and the carved shoe.

There is a string between the shoulders for speech, and an unconnected eyelet in the backside for bowing.

Two control bars; bar 1 of 23cms (5 notch), bar 2 of 325 cms (2 notch). Hooks and eyes on control bars are modern. Strings to knees, hands, both sides of head, one to the shoulders and one to the backside.

This marionette along with the rest of the troupe and three of their original backcloths had been stored in a blacksmith's shop in Lincolnshire for over thirty years, but after cleaning and re-stringing, most of the marionettes were restored by Gerald Morice and George Speaight who purchased them in 1945. They began working on recreating some of the puppets' original repertoire. Since the original cloths were too fragile for performance, new backdrops were painted, and in August 1951 as part of The Festival of Britain celebrations, the marionettes took to the stage again as The Old Time Marionettes, at the Riverside Theatre, Festival Gardens, Battersea Park. In the 1980s George Speaight lent the troupe to puppeteers in Germany but in the late 1990s he sold them to John Phillips, an expert puppet carver, manipulator and puppet historian, whose widow sold them to the Museum after his death in 1998.

This marionette came into the Museum with its older costume (now restored to it), but dressed as the Jewish peddlar Ismael, with a smock of yellow winceyette; grey cotton mix trousers with legs made from the ends of two shirt sleeves, and a crudely-made leather cloack, hat and belt - probably a costume from its German period. In photographs of the troupe from the 1950showever, this figure he is wearing yet another costume with a 'petal-pointed' ruff, and jacket and breeches featuring a double row of braid at the cuffs, collar and knees.

It is impossible to identify the precise maker of this marionette since the company made, altered and used figures throughout its career. It is possible, however, to distinguish distinct types, and therefore groups of figures, made by different makers, due to the type of carving. The maker of this object has been distinguished as Maker C.

This is one of 35 marionettes from the Tiller-Clowes troupe, one of the last Victorian marionette troupes in England. Marionette shows were a popular form of entertainment for adults in the 19th century, many of them family concerns which travelled around the country long before the advent of film and television, presenting shortened versions of London's latest popular entertainment from melodramas and pantomimes to minstrel shows and music hall. In the 18th and early 19th centuries their theatres were relatively makeshift, but after about 1860 many became quite elaborate, with walls constructed from wooden shutters, seating made from tiered planks of wood, and canvas roofs.

The figures were carved, painted, dressed and performed by members of the company. This is Pantalone, the greedy merchant from the Italian knockabout comedy called 'Commedia dell'Arte'. He was a familiar character in 19th century British pantomime, where he played the role of Columbine's father. Pantalone was an indispensable member of any marionette troupe, along with Harlequin, Columbine and Clown.

S.297-1999