A Derby porcelain figure of David Garrick in the role of Tancred
A rare figure of the actor as Tancred in Thomson's "Tancred and Sigismunda" on a rocaille base picked out in gilt and with applied foliage. Unmarked. Restored, the hands replaced. H 21.7 cm.
Derby Porcelain manufactory, ca. 1768.
David Garrick was one of the greatest actors of his time. Born in Hereford in 1717, he came to London in 1737 where he worked as a wine merchant. He made his artistic debut in London in 1741, playing Richard III in Shakespeare's eponymous work. He managed the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane from 1747 to 1776. He first played the leading role in James Thompson's tragedy "Tancred and Sigismunda" in 1745. His imposing stage presence in this role was captured in a portrait painted by Thomas Worlidge in 1752 which was also reproduced as an engraving and is currently housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum. Garrick was a popular subject for artists and was portrayed by many of them throughout his lifetime, including William Hogarth in 1757, Angelika Kauffmann in 1764, and Thomas Gainsborough in 1770.
Literature
Two identical versions of this figure are housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London under the museum numbers S.1007-1996 and 414:185-1885.
The example from the Schreiber Collection is published in: Twichett, Derby Porcelain, London 1980, no. 48.