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'Much Ado About Nothing' by Elkington

About the Item

This parcel-gilt silver plated electrotype plaque demonstrates a marriage scene from the popular play "Much Ado About Nothing" by Shakespeare. Each corner is further embellished with masks of 'Comedy' and 'Tragedy', symbols that are common in drama to highlight the disparity between comedy and tragedy. At the top of the plaque is a portrait of Shakespeare crowned with a laurel wreath by two flanking putti. The bottom of the plaque reads the title 'Much Ado About Nothing'. The plaque is attached onto a wood frame. The masterpiece for this electrotype in The Museum of Fine Art Boston. Biography - The Artist Leonard Morel-Ladeuil trained in Paris workshop of Antoine Vecht (1799-1869). Leonard Morel-Ladeuil and Elkington collaborated on a number of pieces, most notably The Milton Shield, now in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum London. Biography - The Maker Elkington & Co, founded in 1815, is the pioneer, and inventor of the electroplating process. Dr. John Wright originally came across the use of a solution of cyanide of silver in potassium of cyanide for making electroplated silver. The Elkingtons recognised the possibility of using electricity in the plating process and thus purchased and patented his process. Over time, electroplating became extremely successful, with Elkington receiving various British royal warrants, and also an Imperial and Royal Warrant from the emperor of Austria. In 1884 they produced an electrotype copy of the Jerningham Wine Cooler which now resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 20.08 in (51 cm)Width: 25.28 in (64.2 cm)Depth: 1.19 in (3 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Circa 1880
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: FD 0036 1stDibs: LU8883234976162

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