{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O125190"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O125190/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AB9178/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AB9178/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AB9178","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O125190/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O125190","accessionNumber":"S.22-1992","objectType":"Plate","titles":[{"title":"Wedgwood circus plate decorated by Thérèse Lessore","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"This Wedgwood plate was decorated by Thérèse Lessore who became the third wife of the artist Walter Sickert in 1926.  Despite her French name, she was born in Brighton and studied art at London's Slade School.  She painted landscapes, interiors, and circus scenes, as well as producing designs for textiles.  She was part of the Bloomsbury set as was her first husband, the painter Bernard Adeney, and Walter Sickert who wrote of her art in 1914: 'Her pictures are seemingly not painted from models pretending to do certain things. By some strange alchemy of genius, the essentials of their being and movement are torn from them, and presented in ordered and rhythmical arrangement of the highest technical brevity and beauty.'\r\n\r\nThérèse Lessore's interest in painting for pottery design was not surprising since her grandfather was Emile Lessore, a free-hand decorator for Wedgwood Potteries, and her father was the artist Jules Lessore, who also painted pottery. This design was probably produced in the 1930s when circus was enjoying great popularity due to Bertram Mills' grand annual circuses at Olympia.","physicalDescription":"Plate decorated in underglaze blue with an image of two acrobatic clowns leaning forwards in a circus ring, a third clown in the air between them, knees tucked under his chest as if he's just jumped over them from the ramp by their side.  With a darker blue for the rim decoration.","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Josiah Wedgwood and Sons","id":"A1450"},"association":{"text":"maker","id":"AAT251917"},"note":""}],"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 earthenwre","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Ceramics","id":"THES48982"},{"text":"Circus","id":"THES261738"},{"text":"Tableware & cutlery","id":"THES48888"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2006AB9178"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"007","id":"THES355449"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"plate","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Staffordshire","id":"x29181"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1923","earliest":"1923-01-01","latest":"1923-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"S.21-1992","id":"O125178"},"association":"Object"}],"creditLine":"Antony Hippisley Coxe Collection","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"28.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"2.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"9.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"? possibly on a stand"}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"TL monogram on base in blue","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Monogram of Thérèse Lessore"},{"content":"Impressed mark on base WEDGWOOD","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Exhibited in the V&A circus display, Gallery 104A, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the foundation of circus, April 2018 to February 2019","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Glazed plate decorated with circus images by Thérèse Lessore, Wedgwood, 1923","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"clowns","id":"AAT25660"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.22-1992"],"accessionNumberNum":"22","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1992,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-27","recordCreationDate":"2006-06-14","availableToBook":false}}