Delaware Antiques Show 2025

that she played Ophelia on Drury Lane in 1772. 3 Notably, Ophelia was not her only known role, as it is said that she played in both comedies and tragedies. Interestingly, the public did not always receive her tragic performances well. 4 This makes it all the more interesting that she is captured in the tragic role of Ophelia on this tile. The decision to print her in this role appears to have been influenced by the timing of publication, as the original source material for these tiles can be traced to the literary world. Many of the tiles in this series display imagery that was originally introduced in John Bell’s edition of Shakespeare’s Plays . The artist, Charles Grignion, created the imagery for these books, and seems to have based his prints on the drawings by James Roberts II. 5 In contrast, the border of this tile looks to be an original design by Guy Green. It is here that we begin the discussion of theatrical motifs and the related visual language. On the right side of the tile, we see more traditional motifs for theater, such as the comedy and tragedy masks. Next are the lyre and a panpipe (syrinx), often connected to storytelling and theater, and attributed to the God Hermes in mythology as their creator. 6 Appropriately, the item immediately above these appears to be Hermes’ caduceus, or staff. This emphasizes the representation of 3 “Mrs Jane Lessingham.” British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG73649. Accessed July 2, 2025 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 6 John F. Miller and Jenny Strauss Clay, eds. Tracking Hermes, Pursuing Mercury (Oxford, Eng.: Oxford University Press, 2019), pp. 34, 80. — 16 —