Figure of Mr. No-Body
Date1682 (dated)
OriginEngland, London
MediumTin-glazed earthenware (delft / delftware)
DimensionsOH: 8 1/2"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1978-131
DescriptionA figure in the form of a bearded man without a torso, his headextending from his hips, standing on a circular disk; cylindrical hat forms
the lip. Whitish tin glaze; features and clothing (collar, balloon britches with full sleeves, knee stockings, and shoes) decorated in blue. Base painted in blue with a chinoiserie landscape and the inscription "NPE 1682."
Label TextThe concept of and the play on the word nobody originated in the Middle Ages. A play entitled No-Body and Some-Body was published in London in 1606, and its woodcut frontispiece illustrates No-body in the form seen here. Another recorded delft example, dated 1675, is decorated in polychrome and formed from a different mold. An undated figure is at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Figures of Mr. Nobody, possibly based on the delft examples or also copied from the frontispiece of the play, were made in Chinese porcelain about the same time. The decoration on the base of this figure relates to London delft of this period, such as a posset pot in the CWF collection (accession 1959-354).
Inscribed"NPE 1682"
MarkingsNone
ProvenanceJellinek & Sampson Antiques, London
Exhibition(s)
ca. 1830
ca. 1800
1770-1775
ca. 1830
ca. 1790 (possibly)
