{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O180927"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O180927/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2021MY2338/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2021MY2338/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2021MY2338","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2021MY2347","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O180927/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O180927","accessionNumber":"A.10-1968","objectType":"Relief","titles":[{"title":"'Shakespeare' from the 'Modern Drama' on the theatre at Covent Garden","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"This is one of four plaster models for two stone friezes for Covent Garden Theatre (now the Royal Opera House), which were commissioned from Flaxman in 1809 by the architect Robert Smirke (1780-1867). The friezes represent the Ancient and Modern Drama. They were probably the first examples of the direct influence of the Parthenon marbles, which Flaxman had seen in 1807 when they were brought to England by Lord Elgin (and which are now in the British Museum). This one illustrates one half of  'Modern Drama' (as opposed to 'Ancient Drama'), and shows Shakespeare seated on the right, with figures from 'The Tempest' (Caiban, Prospero, Ferdinand and Miranda), Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and two figures in a chariot pulled by two oxen. It complements the relief showing Milton (A.11-1968).\n\nJohn Flaxman (1755-1826) was an English sculptor, designer and teacher. He was the most famous English Neo-classical sculptor of the late 18th century and the early 19th. He focused on monumental sculpture and church monuments and portrait busts. A large collection of his plaster models is held in the Strang Print Room, University College, London. He also made outline illustrations of Homer, Aeschylus and Dante. Many of those in his sketchbooks (now in the V&amp;A) were drawn from the antique while he was in Italy. Furthermore he produced models for pottery and silver supplying the pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood among others. He thus can be considered as an important pioneer in the development of Industrial Design.","physicalDescription":"The plaster frieze shows Shakespeare seated on the right, with figures from 'The Tempest' (Caiban, Prospero, Ferdinand and Miranda), Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and two figures in a chariot pulled by two oxen.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Flaxman, John","id":"A1284"},"association":{"text":"sculptor","id":"x43862"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Rossi, John Charles Felix RA","id":"A8803"},"association":{"text":"sculptor","id":"x43862"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"plaster","id":"AAT14922"}],"techniques":[{"text":"cast","id":"x32615"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Cast plaster","categories":[{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"},{"text":"Reliefs","id":"THES49035"}],"styles":[{"text":"Neo-classical","id":"x38958"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"SCP","id":"THES48600"},"images":["2021MY2338","2021MY2347"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"22 (VA)","id":"THES49843"},"free":"","case":"SWAL","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Relief","id":"AAT53622"}],[{"text":"Frieze","id":"AAT1816"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1809","earliest":"1809-01-01","latest":"1809-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"A.8-1968","id":"O127123"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"A.9-1968","id":"O77817"},"association":""},{"object":{"text":"A.11-1968","id":"O180948"},"association":""}],"creditLine":"Given by Mr H. Barr-Davies","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"39.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Length","value":"174","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"This is one of four plaster models for two stone friezes for Covent Garden Theatre (now the Royal Opera House), which were commissioned from Flaxman in 1809 by the architect Robert Smirke (1780-1867). The friezes represent the Ancient and Modern Drama. They were probably the first examples of the direct influence of the Parthenon marbles, which Flaxman had seen in 1807 when they were brought to England by Lord Elgin (and which are now in the British Museum).\nGiven by Mr Barrs-Davies in 1968. Formerly in the possession of the donor's great-grandfather, the sculptor Henry Westmacott and by descent to his son the sculptor James Sherwood Westmacott. By descent to Mr H. Barrs-Davies and given by him to the Museum in 1968.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Relief model, frieze, plaster, Shakespeare from the Modern Drama on the theatre at Covent Garden, John Flaxman, England, 1809","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Bilbey, Diane and Trusted, Marjorie, British Sculpture 1470-2000: A Concise Catalogue of the Collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 2002","id":"AUTH401363"},"details":"p.83 cat.115, with earlier references.","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"Whinney, Margaret, English Sculpture 1720-1830. London: H. M. Stationery Off., 1971","id":"AUTH401360"},"details":"no. 46.","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Boase, T.S.R. 'Illustrations of Shakespeare's Plays in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries', <u>Journal of Warburg and COurtauld Institutes</u>, x, 1948, p. 83."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Boase, T.S.R. <u>English Art 1800-1870</u>, 1959, 2."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Shakespeare","id":"N15"}],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Smirke, Robert","id":"N7932"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[{"text":"The building of Covent Garden Theatre","id":"V697"}],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["Macbeth","The Tempest"],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"John Flaxman (1755–1826)\r\nand John Felix Rossi (1762–1839)\r\nModels for the friezes on the theatre at Covent Garden\r\n1809\r\n\r\nThese reliefs, in a fluid classical style, depict ancient Greek drama and modern theatre, with portraits of William Shakespeare and John Milton. They are among the first works of British sculpture to be directly influenced by the Parthenon Marbles, which Flaxman studied at Lord Elgin’s house in 1807. Elgin removed the Marbles from the ancient Greek site between 1801 and 1805 and they have been in London ever since.\r\n\r\nLondon\r\nPlaster","date":{"text":"2021","earliest":"2021-01-01","latest":"2021-12-31"}},{"text":"John Flaxman 1755–1826 \r\nand John Felix Rossi 1762–1839\r\nModels for the Friezes on the Theatre at Covent Garden\r\n1809\r\n\r\nThese reliefs, in a fluid classical style, depict characters associated with Ancient and Modern theatre. They are among the first works of British sculpture to be directly influenced by the Parthenon Mmarbles, which Flaxman inspected at Lord Elgin’s house soon after their arrival in England in 1807.\r\n\r\nLondon \r\nPlaster\r\n","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}}],"partNumbers":["A.10-1968"],"accessionNumberNum":"10","accessionNumberPrefix":"A","accessionYear":1968,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LN1793","2019LN6478","2019LT3472","2019LW6869"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-20","recordCreationDate":"2008-12-29","availableToBook":false}}