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The Assassination of Marat: C.939-1928

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Object information

Current Location: Gallery 27 (Glaisher)

Titles

The Assassination of Marat

Maker(s)

Factory: Lakin & Poole

Entities

Categories

Description

Earthenware with blue-tinted lead-glaze, painted in polychrome enamels and gilded.

Earthenware, with blue-tinted lead-glaze (pearl glaze), painted in blue, turquoise, green, pale yellow, flesh pink, pink, orange-red, pale purple, purple, maroon, buff, brown, grey, and black enamels, and gilt. The figures are supported on a straight-sided low rectangular base, which is recessed and glazed underneath and has a round ventilation hole under each figure. The top of the base is coloured pale yellow, buff and grey to resemble marble and has on the front a black outlined label inscribed 'The Assassination of MARAT./by CHARLOTTE.CORDE./of Caen, in Normandy./1793'. Charlotte stands on the viewer's right, facing to the front, holding a dagger in her right hand (blade missing), and holding out her left arm to her left. She has long grey hair, and wears a high-crowned hat with a green band and a complex bow on the front, a gold necklace, a black ribbon with gold slide on her right wrist, a green petticoat, a white dress decorated with scattered floral sprays and a purple bow at the back, a white pinafore and fichu, a gold belt, and orange-red shoes. Marat sprawls on the base to the viewer's left, supporting himself on his right arm and raising his left towards his attacker. He has grey hair (or wig), dressed in a queue,a pink jacket with turquoise collar and lining and marroon buttons, a pale mauve waistcoat scattered with purple sprigs and circles, and purple buttons, grey breeches with maroon kneebands and buttons, blue striped stockings and black shoes. Orange-red blood streams from a gash in his chest towards the base.

Notes

History note: A.G.Smith, Wardour Street, from whom purchased on 17 February 1904 for £12.12s. 0d. by Dr J.W.L. Glaisher, FRS, Trinity College, Cambridge

Legal notes

Dr J.W.L. Glaisher Bequest

Measurements and weight

Depth: 35 cm
Height: 35 cm
Length: 24.5 cm

Place(s) associated

  • Burslem ⪼ Staffordshire ⪼ England

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (71928-12) by Glaisher, J. W. L., Dr

Dating

18th Century, Late
George III
Circa 1794 - 1795

Note

Jean-Paul Marat (1743-93) was murdered in his bath by Charlotte Corday. The group, which does not show the bath, was based on a print by Isaac Cruickshank, 'A Second Jean D'Arc or the Assassination of Marat by Charlotte Corde of Caen in Normandy on Sunday July 14 1793', published in July 1793.

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Decoration composed of enamel ( blue, turquoise, green, pale yellow, flesh pink, pink, orange-red, pale purple, purple, maroon, buff, brown, grey, and black) gold
Base Length 21 cm Width 11.6 cm

Materials used in production

Lead-glaze
Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Slip-casting
Lead-glazing

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: LAKIN & POOLE
  • Location: In centre of underside of base
  • Method of creation: Impressed
  • Type: Factory mark

Inscription present: rectangular white paper label with a narrow blue border with trefoils inside the corners

  • Text: No 2018/Group representing/ the murder of Marat/by Charlotte Cordez./Marked Lakin &/Poole (See Chaffers/1897,p. 606)/Bought for £12 Feb/17 1904 in London
  • Location: On base
  • Method of creation: Printed in blue and hand-written in black ink faded to brown
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.939-1928
Primary reference Number: 76413
Old object number: 2018
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 23 January 2024 Last processed: Tuesday 23 January 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "The Assassination of Marat" Web page available at: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/76413 Accessed: 2024-10-13 03:16:42

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{{cite web|url=https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/76413 |title=The Assassination of Marat |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-10-13 03:16:42|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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