Porcelain and Shakespearean Storytelling

Join Olivia Tracey, Assistant Curator of Ceramics and Glass, as she explores early nineteenth-century luxury porcelain, the powerful visual imagery of Shakespeare’s stories and British national identity.

An enthusiast of the London stage, porcelain painter Thomas Baxter depicted famous Regency theatrical figures such as Sarah Siddons and John Philip Kemble as well as recognisable scenes from some of the period’s most popular plays. Baxter’s rendering of scenes from Shakespearean drama on Worcester Royal Porcelain brought these striking images into the houses of the ruling classes, cementing Shakespeare’s stories as a source of national pride at a time of war with France and British imperial expansion.

Please note, this event will move to another location. For any access assistance, please inform a member of staff.

Supported by the Colwinston Charitable Trust