15929995530001312637261000Standard Recordobject-71119170206283828716490745880001702062268602fitz-onlineadlib-object-71119https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/7111980d5db45-7c32-32b7-bebc-af83f46be3c26personreferenceagent-161402adlib-agent-161402fa674f6b-82ee-3b23-b805-af44d86b8eecBilly Watersreferenceterm-37633adlib-term-3763343c6b916-951a-36c6-a4a7-7342c900a6d7bone chinareferenceterm-107563adlib-term-10756338dcd825-1de1-3222-82c6-15a95729b5ffenamelsreferenceterm-39593adlib-term-39593e3e2a3f8-2433-3f63-9bcf-e776644d312dgoldDecorationin bright blue, green, pale yellow, dark puce, a little purple, red, pale brown, reddish-brown, and black enamelsreferenceterm-106226adlib-term-106226194567f2-2bcd-3446-ae31-652386611815paintingreferenceterm-28681adlib-term-28681c1f659e2-1209-31cf-8ff4-154e11452559gildingApplied ArtsBone china figure of a one-legged man playing the violin, painted in enamels, standing on a circular base inscribed BILLY WATERS in goldBone china, figure slip-cast, and painted overglaze in bright blue, green, pale yellow, dark puce, a little purple, red, pale brown, reddish-brown, and black enamels, and gilt. The underside has an unglazed border, and a lower, glazed area in the centre. The figure stands on a circular straight-side base, with a tree stump near the back. Billy Waters, a black man, stands on his right leg with his left upper leg and its projecting wooden peg leg held out in front. He supports a violin in his right hand and holds a bow to it with his right hand. He wears a black cocked hat with a white feather, a blue jacket with yellow reveres and gold buttons, a purple spotted white waistcoat with gold buttons, a red neckerchief, dark puce and white striped trousers, and black shoes. His peg-leg and its straps are reddish brown. The bow and violin are pale brown, and details of the latter are in black. The base is green on top, and, on the sides, is inscribed BILLY WATERS between two horizontal gold bands.C.100-19321accession numberC.100-193271119priref71119urihttps://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/71119https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/71119on the glazed central area of the basepainted in purple enamela crown over crossed swords flanked by S and H, with .D belowfactory markreferenceagent-149638adlib-agent-1496387376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8The Fitzwilliam MuseumGiven by Mrs W.D. Dicksonreferenceagent-180712adlib-agent-180712855e3948-593a-3b3c-9d66-028df74284feDickson, W. D. (Frances Louisa), Mrs193219101932-10givenEntry date: 1932-1018621862CE1862circa18621898The S and H on either side of the mark stood for either Stevenson & Hancock period c. 1862-6 or Sampson Hancock period c. 1866-98, but this mark continued to be used into the 20th century.11898CE18981898factoryreferenceagent-35888adlib-agent-358880244b335-51c5-3535-a626-9ed7f3d33894Derby Porcelain Factoryprobablymodellerreferenceagent-157939adlib-agent-1579391732c9cb-fa3b-3773-9a9f-c19d3d371bc0Keys, EdwardBilly Waters (c. 1778-1823) was a black performer and busker who sang and played his violin for theatregoers, most often outside the Adelphi Theatre on the Strand, London, where he was noted for his peg-leg and feathered hat. Thought to have been born in North America or the Caribbean, possibly to enslavement, Waters later entered the British Navy and lost his leg during the Napoleonic wars. In trying to support his family, he busked in order to supplement his meagre naval pension. Waters was so well-known that he appeared as a character in Pierce Egan’s, 'Life in London' (1821) and the subsequent unauthorised stage production, William Thomas Moncrieff's 'Tom and Jerry, or Life in London', which ran at the Adelphi Theatre between 1821 and 1823 and at several New York theatres from 1823. Waters appeared as himself on stage in the London production. Although incredibly popular with the public, Waters ended his life in poverty, pawning his violin shortly before his death in the St Giles workhouse. He is buried in the New Burial Ground, St Pancras Church.The modeller of this figure was identified by John Haslam (1876) as Edward Keys, who left Derby in 1826. The model is G10 in Bradshaw's list of 'Bone China Derby Models, 1810-48'. See Documentation, 1990. Other ceramic figures of Billy Waters can be found in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG D48192) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (C.317-1916 and C.38-2002).Waters was the subject of an 1815 portrait attributed to Sir David Wilkie, and in the long tradition of depicting buskers and street-sellers, a portrait of him was included by Thomas Lord Busby in his book, 'Costume of the Lower Orders of London' (1820) (see collection of National Portrait Gallery, NPG D20528). However, this ceramic depiction of Billy Waters was derived from George Cruikshank’s depiction of Waters in the racist, anti-abolitionist print, 'The New Union Club Being a Representation of what took place at a celebrated Dinner given by a celebrated society' (19 July 1819) and Cruickshank's illustrations in Pierce Egan’s, 'Life in London' (1821). Waters is also the subject of a later print, 'The notorious Black Billy "at home" to a London street party' (1822) (Wellcome Library, no. 1962i).referenceterm-118652adlib-term-1186525a255bf0-199c-337e-ae02-4096e18f0ccf19th Century, second half#referenceterm-97680adlib-term-97680d0493beb-d54a-30ea-970d-e525d2e9403eVictoriareferenceterm-110521adlib-term-110521b57fb046-bca3-3371-a721-2093adc3a282literalEnglandEnglandcountryliteralDerbyshireDerbyshireregionDerbyreferenceterm-32652adlib-term-3265282d8ae3b-f165-395c-ba93-dfa1c282b7beglazereferenceterm-37633adlib-term-3763343c6b916-951a-36c6-a4a7-7342c900a6d7bone chinaHeightcm9.5Widthcm3.8referencemedia-33870adlib-media-33870d623be67-64b8-390f-a427-c3a73c7a4e06jpegaa/aa2/C_100_1932_281_29.jpg1heightpixels740widthpixels57016162800087871imagejpegaa/aa2/mid_C_100_1932_281_29.jpg1heightpixels649widthpixels50016162800087871imagejpegaa/aa2/C_100_1932_281_29.jpg1heightpixels740widthpixels57016162800087871imagejpegaa/aa2/preview_C_100_1932_281_29.jpg1heightpixels325widthpixels25016162800087871image0media
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imagereferenceterm-107454adlib-term-1074546ca0f2ab-c1f8-329d-8a45-8f1322f53a20figurehistory noteUncertain before donor, Mrs W.D. (Frances Louisa) Dicksonreferenceagent-149638adlib-agent-1496387376d833-d0a7-3be0-916e-9c892b7a24d8The Fitzwilliam MuseumRef. p. 181, Haslem incuded this model in a list of figures modelled by Edward Keys. Enamelled and gilt, it cost at 4s. 0d.181referencepublication-2850adlib-publication-2850d5dcd4d0-9032-35ca-b870-c7d2cb1b5ca6The Old Derby China FactoryRef. p. 418, G10This model is G10 in Bradshaw's list of 'Bone China Derby Models, 1810-48'. Cf. An example in Derby Museum and Art Gallery, p. 419, pl. 343. For the attribution of this model to Edward Keys, see p. 463418-9, 463referencepublication-2845adlib-publication-2845aed83438-5cba-3d3d-914c-0603afed5d46Derby Porcelain Figures 1750-1848object namereferenceterm-19315adlib-term-19315eda88cd2-4c89-3ac4-9e51-3c03a7021acaviolinliteralviolinviolinreferenceterm-107454adlib-term-1074546ca0f2ab-c1f8-329d-8a45-8f1322f53a20figurefigurebone china, slip-cast, and painted overglaze in bright blue, green, pale yellow, dark puce, a little purple, red, pale brown, reddish-brown, and black enamels, and gilt. The underside has an unglazed border, and a lower, glazed area in the centre.referenceterm-120096adlib-term-1200967cc05306-f07e-3189-849f-52addb9e2ca7slip-castingreferenceterm-27616adlib-term-2761661e6a95d-84c8-3893-b6c8-213392262987glazing (coating)Billy Waters playing the Violinobject
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