{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O118251"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O118251/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017KC5751/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2017KC5751/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2017KC5751","copyright":"©Victoria & Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O118251","accessionNumber":"S.149-1992","objectType":"Sculpture","titles":[{"title":"Edith Evans as the Nurse","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Sculpted head of Edith Evans (1888-1976) as the Nurse in <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, New Theatre, 1935. Unknown artist.\n\nDame Edith Evans was one of the most celebrated actresses of the 20th century, famed for her skill in both tragedy and comedy and particularly admired in the plays of Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and the Restoration dramatists. The Nurse in <i>Romeo and Juliet</i> was among her greatest successes, in a production at the New Theatre (now the Noel Coward Theatre) in 1935, with a starry cast directed by John Gielgud. The production opened with Gielgud as Mercutio and Laurence Olivier as Romeo; then, after six weeks, the leading men swapped roles. Their Juliet was Peggy Ashcroft.\n\nCritics were fulsome in their praise of the actors and the production. Stephen Williams, writing in the <i>Evening Standard</i> (18 OCtober 1935), called Edith Evans's Nurse 'a magnificent creature who might have stepped out of an old Dutch painting: vulgar and voluminous and with the solidity of the earth in her blunt realism.' The critic of the <i>Evening News</i> (18 October 1935) declared that 'the part has probably never been played so well'.\n\n\r\n","physicalDescription":"Irregularly shaped head carved from marble portraying Edith Evans as the Nurse in <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, wearing a wimple.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"marble","id":"AAT11443"}],"techniques":[{"text":"carving","id":"AAT53149"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Marble","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"},{"text":"Theatre","id":"THES250537"},{"text":"Shakespeare","id":"THES253244"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2017KC5751"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"006","id":"THES355421"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"busts","id":"AAT47457"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"mid 20th century","earliest":"1925-01-01","latest":"1975-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Mr H. Hurford-Jones","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"10.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"17.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"at base","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"3.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Given to the donor's wife by Edith Evans in 1971. Dame Edith could not recall the name of the sculptor.\r\n\r\nWhen this acquisition was proposed John Gielgud was consulted and pronounced the sculpture 'a good likeness'.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Sculpted head of Edith Evans (1888-1976) as the Nurse in <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, New Theatre, 1935. Unknown artist","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.149-1992"],"accessionNumberNum":"149","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1992,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-13","recordCreationDate":"2005-11-07","availableToBook":true}}