{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1818128"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1818128/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PV6481/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2026PV6481/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2026PV6481","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1818128/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1818128","accessionNumber":"S.1492-2026","objectType":"Painting","titles":[{"title":"Circus ring coverings","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Artwork illustrating the different styles, shapes, construction and decoration of mats used to cover the centre of a circus ring, required for certain acts. Illustrations demonstrate how to fold a ring mat and how to install ring boards. Woven carpet used by Moscow State Circus, ca. 1988. Plastic mats used by Gandey's Circus, ca. 1992 and Circus King, 1991. Square plastic mat used by Santus Circus, 1991. Woven carpet with Chinese design used by The Wang Family, ca. 1980. Cirus ring boards used by Cirque Gruss, ca. 1980, Circus Knie, 1985, Cirque du Soleil used on Circus Knie, 1992 and Circus Dannebrog, ca. 1985.\n\nStewart Waghorn (1929-2016) was an Associate of the Royal College of Art and member of the Circus Friends Association who spent more than 50 years documenting circus in the UK through his artworks.\r\n\nWaghorn was creatively inspired by circus from an early age, creating a model transport for ‘Long John Silver’s Circus’, after an inspirational visit to Lord John Sanger’s Circus as a child. During his studies at the Royal College of Art, Waghorn would attend the Bertram Mills Circus at Olympia on a press pass, watching and sketching the acts and environments from 8:30am until the last show. His work ‘Circus Scene’ (1954) is held in the collection of the Royal College of Art and in the 1950s and 1960s he had six circus painting exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition.\r\n\nIn the late 1970s Waghorn moved to an illustrative aesthetic. This work is from a large group of technical illustration artworks that explores the environments, architecture, engineering and logistics of circus in exceptional detail.","physicalDescription":"Watercolour illustrations of ten circus ring mats, with annotations and illustrations of how to fold two examples.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Waghorn, Stewart ARCA","id":"A19513"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25136"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"Watercolour","id":"AAT15045"}],"techniques":[{"text":"Painting","id":"x30598"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Watercolour painting on paper","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment and leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Circus","id":"THES261738"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2026PV6481"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"008","id":"THES360839"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Painting","id":"x30598"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"England","id":"x28826"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1994","earliest":"1994-01-01","latest":"1994-12-31"},"association":{"text":"painted","id":"x30138"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Margaret Waghorn","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"610","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"870","unit":"mm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Circus ring covering: ring mats and ring boards illustration, Stewart Waghorn, 1994","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.1492-2026"],"accessionNumberNum":"1492","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2026,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-11-06","recordCreationDate":"2026-03-11","availableToBook":false}}