{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O119720"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O119720/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AB9144/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AB9144/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AB9144","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O119720/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O119720","accessionNumber":"S.974-1996","objectType":"Figurine","titles":[{"title":"John Philip Kemble as Hamlet","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Stars of the 19th century theatre were often celebrated in paintings, prints and drawings, and in ceramic figurines. Several Staffordshire factories specialised in moulded earthenware portrait figurines which were decorated by hand and sold cheaply. This shows the actor-manager John Philip Kemble (1757-1823) as Hamlet, the part in which he first made his name on the stage in Dublin in 1782. The Kemble family dominated the theatrical world in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and when John Philip Kemble made his London debut as Hamlet in September 1783, his sister Sarah Siddons was already regarded as one of the greatest tragedians ever. \r\n\r\nThis is a later variant of an earlier figurine copied from a contemporary engraving published by Tallis in 1852-1853, after a painting by Lawrence. At least seven earthenware portrait figurines are known to have been copied from engravings in Tallis's <i>Shakespeare Gallery</i>.  Known as 'Tallis figures'  they were made in many sizes, probably by the Burslem potters Thomas Parr (who was working from 1852 until 1870), John Parr (who worked from 1870 to 1879), or the Kent & Parr firm, (who worked from 1880 until 1894). These manufacturers passed the moulds to each other and the figures were produced throughout the Victorian period.\n\n\r\n\r\n","physicalDescription":"Figurine representing John Philip Kemble as Hamlet, standing, holding a skull in his left hand. He wears a pale yellow doublet and magenta breeches,  a deep blue cloak and hat with a deep magenta feather.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Parr, Thomas","id":"A12729"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"AAT251917"},"note":"after"}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"earthenware","id":"x29356"},{"text":"Glaze","id":"AAT15091"}],"techniques":[{"text":"moulding","id":"x46876"},{"text":"firing (heating)","id":"AAT53887"},{"text":"painting","id":"x30598"},{"text":"glazing (coating)","id":"AAT53914"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Glazed earthenware","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Figures & Decorative ceramics","id":"THES48954"},{"text":"Ceramics","id":"THES48982"},{"text":"Theatre","id":"THES250537"},{"text":"Shakespeare","id":"THES253244"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2006AB9144"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES355435"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"figurines","id":"AAT47455"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Staffordshire","id":"x29181"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"late 19th century","earliest":"1850-01-01","latest":"1899-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1996","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"17.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"7.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"maximum width","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"6.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"of base","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"2.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"of base","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"7.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"of base","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'A'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Small black 'A' on the base"}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Glazed figurine of John Philip Kemble (1757-1823) as Hamlet, Drury Lane Theatre, 1783. Later variant of the original made ca.1852 by Thomas Parr, Burslem, Staffordshire. Earthenware","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<i>Staffordshire Portrait Figures of the Victoria Era</i> by P.D. Gordon Pugh, p.62, plate 28; p.423, fig.6."}],"production":"The pose was copied from an engraving published in Tallis's <i>Shakespeare Gallery</i> 1852-1853, after a painting by Thomas Lawrence.\n\n","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Kemble, John Philip","id":"N2478"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["Hamlet"],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.974-1996"],"accessionNumberNum":"974","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1996,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-24","recordCreationDate":"2005-12-14","availableToBook":true}}