Bust
attributed to Obadiah Sherratt (1815-1846)
Category
Ceramics
Date
1815 - 1830
Materials
pearlware with overglaze enamels and coloured glazes
Measurements
240 x 170 x 130 mm
Place of origin
Staffordshire
Order this imageCollection
Scotney Castle, Kent
NT 790392
Summary
Bust, pearlware, depicting the actress Maria Foote, on a simple socle, the head facing downwards towards the proper left, her hair tied up in a chignon and braid, wearing a chemise and necklace, with pendant, possibly Obadiah Sherratt, Staffordshire, 1815-30; decorated naturalistically with coloured glazes and overglaze enamels, the socle blue, the skin in flesh tones and the chemise purple with yellow edging.
Full description
Maria Foote (1798-1867) was born in Plymouth into a theatrical family. Her father, Samuel Foote, was a director and owned a theatre in their home town and her mother, Miss Hannington, was an actress. Foote began her career aged 12, playing Juliet in a performance of Romeo and Juliet at her father's theatre. The family moved to London and Foote made her debut at Covent Garden in 1814, playing Amanthis in 'The Child of Nature.' She performed in every season at Covent Garden for the next eleven years and in 1826 gave her first performance at the Drury Lane Theatre. She also toured extensively across Britain and Ireland and to Paris. Foote was also known for her skill as a musician, playing the pianoforte, guitar and harp, as well as dancing. Foote's career became overshadowed by personal scandal in 1824, when she successfully sued Joseph Hayne for the breach of a promise of marriage. Hayne claimed to have not known that Foote had previously been in a relationship with Colonel William Berkley, with whom she had two children that were in her former lover's custody. The case caused a sensation and was widely reported in news pamphlets and lampooned by caricaturists, including George Cruikshank. Foote continued working professionally as an actress until her 1831 marriage to Charles Stanhope, fourth Earl of Harrington (Viscount Petersham), becoming Countess of Harrington.
Makers and roles
attributed to Obadiah Sherratt (1815-1846), manufacturer