{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O185019"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O185019/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2009CR6813/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2009CR6813/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2009CR6813","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AH6143","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O185019/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O185019","accessionNumber":"S.1398-2009","objectType":"Print","titles":[{"title":"Mr. Grimaldi as Clown","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"<i>Harlequin and Asmodeus, or, Cupid on Crutches</i>, opened at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden on Boxing Day, Wednesday 26 December 1810, as an afterpiece to Ben Jonson's play <i>Every Man in his Humour</i>. This engraving depicts the clown Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837) engaged in a boxing match with a man made of vegetables. Grimaldi wields giant turnips and faces an opponent who has a pumpkin head topped with a sprig of celery, a cabbage body, carrot arms and fingers, beet legs and mushroom feet. \n\nGrimaldi was becoming well known about this time for constructing comic grotesque characters from found objects, and one of the earliest instances of this was in <i>Harlequin in his Element, or, Fire, Water, Earth and Air, Covent Garden</i>, 29 December 1807, when he made a figure from a fresh salmon, a pair of gloves, a hatbox, and the hat of the constable sent to arrest him.  In <i>Harlequin Padmanaba, or, the Golden Fish</i>, 26 December 1811, he made a child's bassinet with four wheels of cheese hitched to a team of springer spaniels. \n\nAfter the publication of Mary Shelley's novel <i>Frankenstein</i> in 1818, Grimaldi was sometimes jokingly called Joe Frankenstein, in celebration of his ability to bring monsters to life. When Grimaldi finally retired retired from the stage in 1828, the poet Thomas Hood wrote a tribute which included the lines:\n\nFor who like thee could ever stride!\r\nSome dozen paces to the mile! --\r\nThe motley, medley coach provide --\r\nOr like Joe Frankenstein compile\r\nThe vegetable man complete! --\r\nA proper Covent Garden feat!\r\n\n","physicalDescription":"Hand-coloured etching of Joseph Grimaldi boxing a giant figure created out of vegetables. Titled 'Mr. Grimaldi as Clown in the Popular Pantomime of  Harlequin & Asmodeus, now performing at the Theatre Royal Covent Garden, Setting to with a Grotesque Figure which he makes with a series of  Vegetables, Fruit &c, and which becoming Animated beats him off the Stage.'","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Norman, R.","id":"A27094"},"association":{"text":"draughtsman","id":"AAT112172"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Ackermann, Rudolph","id":"A8076"},"association":{"text":"publisher","id":"x32600"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"},{"text":"paint","id":"AAT15029"}],"techniques":[{"text":"etching","id":"AAT53241"},{"text":"print-making","id":"AAT131119"},{"text":"hand-colouring","id":"AAT133555"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Hand-coloured etching","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"},{"text":"Pantomime","id":"THES266218"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2009CR6813","2006AH6143"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"WN001","id":"THES388295"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"prints","id":"AAT41273"}],[{"text":"etchings","id":"AAT41365"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x30682"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"8 February 1811","earliest":"1811-02-08","latest":"1811-02-08"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x30682"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"S.713-2016","id":"O1375326"},"association":"Object"}],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"24.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Print size","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"32.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Print size","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"38.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Total including mount","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"53.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Total including mount","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837) as Clown in <i>Harlequin & Asmodeus, or, Cupid on Crutches,</i> Theatre Royal Covent Garden, 26 December 1810. Hand- coloured etching. Published by Rudolph Ackermann, 1811 from a drawing by R. Norman","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Grimaldi, Joseph","id":"N1233"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"Vegetable","id":"x33491"},{"text":"Cabbage","id":"x34665"},{"text":"Mushroom","id":"x33488"},{"text":"Carrot","id":"x33566"},{"text":"Pumpkin","id":"x39512"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["Harlequin & Asmodeus"],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"<b>Food fighter </b>\n\r\nJoseph Grimaldi was a very popular clown. This scene might look a bit weird, but he did actually fight people dressed as vegetables in some of his shows. \n\n<b><i>Mr. Grimaldi as Clown</i> print </b>\r\nDrawn by R. Norman and published by Rudolph Ackermann \r\n1811 \r\nLondon \r\nHarry R. Beard Collection, given by Isobel Beard \r\nMuseum no. S.1398-2009 \n\n[Young V&amp;A, Imagine Gallery, Adventure, short object label]","date":{"text":"01/07/2023","earliest":"2023-07-01","latest":"2023-07-01"}}],"partNumbers":["S.1398-2009"],"accessionNumberNum":"1398","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2009,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"H Beard collection numbering","id":"THES50444"},"number":"F.67-35"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2024-06-10","recordCreationDate":"2009-01-27","availableToBook":false}}