For all time
As Shakespeare is being widely celebrated at the moment, here's a brief Shakespearean interlude. It's a terracotta panel from the Old Bank in Stratford-upon-Avon, a building of 1883 designed by Martin and Harris. The facade is festooned with scenes from the work of Stratford's most famous son. All the sculpture on the bank was produced by Samuel Barfield of Leicester.
The panel in my photograph (click on it to enlarge it) shows scenes from four of the plays, from left to right: As You Like It (with people of the Forest of Arden on the left, presumably); Two Gentlemen of Verona; A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bottom with the ass's head); and Twelfth Night (Andrew Aguecheek and Viola, dressed as a man, nearly coming to blows). Culture as the common currency of Victorian England. Lovely.
Such a lovely building and that panel is wonderful. I love buildings with characters, and once lived in a house in Isleworth which had a bust of Shakespeare carved over the front door.
ReplyDeleteI assume that you researched those plays rather than identified them from the images!
ReplyDeleteCLICK HERE for Bazza’s fabulous Blog ‘To Discover Ice’
Lee Ann: Great aren't they. I once had a house with a fireplace decorated with tiles showing Shakespeare scenes: a wonderful bit of Victoriana.
ReplyDeleteBazza: A bit of both. I got A Midsummer Night's Dream and guessed Twelfth Night. The other two I had to research! Although As You Like It is one of my favourites of the plays, the panel showing it could be from many other plays – although the rustic dress of some of the figures and the trees are a clue.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely building. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGreat !
ReplyDeleteHi Philip,
ReplyDeleteWho were Martin and Harris - a Birmingham firm?
Birmingham craftsmen seemed to get a lot of commissions from the nearby counties at that time.
Thanks,
Matthew
Yes, they were based in Birmingham. By this period of course Birmingham was a bog place and must ave been the base of numerous architects and craftsmen.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I should have added the name of the sculptor who produced the panels: Samuel Barfield of Leicester. I'll add this to the post as well.
ReplyDelete