Souvenirs: Mug, Life and Death: Pompeii and Herculaneum Exhibition, British Museum, 2013.

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Art, Art History, British Museum, Fresco portrait of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife, Herculaneum, Life and Death, Mug, Museums, Pompeii, Pompeii and Herculaneum Exhibition, Souvenirs, Ted

The “Fresco portrait of the baker Terentius Neo and his wife” has been one of favourite works of since I first laid eyes on it in a book called, simply, “History of Art“, published by Parragon back in 2002, where it is described as “THE BAKER AND HIS WIFE” (the book suggests the chaps name is Paquius Proculous, but I’ll leave that one for the academics to sort out). Why do I like it? Perhaps it is because the fresco depicts a marriage of equals, a partnership in which Terentius isn’t afraid to seen standing beside wife bearing the trappings of education together (Mrs. Neo holding the writing tablet and Terentius holding a scroll). Of course back in 2002, as a 22 year old art college drop-out looking for romance, and now, as a hard working bachelor fast approaching 30, it is very easy to idealise married life. Bachelorhood does have one or two advantages though; you can clutter the house up with mugs you never use for starters!

Souvenirs: Mug, The 39 Steps, Criterion Theatre, Piccadilly Circus, London, 10/11/10.

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Alfred Hitchcock, films, John Buchan, Kenneth More, London, Mug, Picadilly Circus, tea., Ted, The 39 Steps, The Chap, The Chap Magazine, The Criterion Theatre, Ticket

Jolly good.

I came to the stage production of “The 39 Steps” by a rather circuitous route. I think the journey started with me watching Kenneth More’s sterling performance as Douglas Bader in the 1956 film “Reach for the Sky” and peaked with the 1959 film version of “The 39 Steps“, in which More plays the hero, Richard Hannay. Later I would start working my way through the films of Alfred Hitchcock, ending up at his 1935 film version (the version the stage production gives the most nods to) of “The 39 Steps“. Then I thought I better read the book, written by John Buchan and published in 1915.

Souvenirs Extra: A ticket for Dress Row B, Seat 10, Dress Circle.

The stage production came to my attention through a piece in 40th edition of The Chap magazine, back in 2009, which was largely about the vintage mackintoshes worn in the production.

Nothing but good reviews seemed to follow and when one of my London contacts suggested visiting one of the Capital’s many theatres I sheepishly suggested that, “The comedy at The Criterion has had good reviews” (I didn’t want to sound to confident, just in case my friend didn’t like the production, but I needn’t have worried). The tag line of the Patrick Barlow production is “4 actors, 130 characters in 100 hilarious minutes“.  The production is hilarious! What is effectively a chase thriller is reproduced on the stage, with only four people playing all the parts, with great energy and hilarity. I highly recommend it (although, I am not a regular visitor to London’s theatre land, so perhaps you shouldn’t plan your weekend theatre break on the basis of this paragraph). Whilst leaving, I passed a chap selling souvenirs (I can’t remember what the other souvenirs were), including the above mug. If you go to Piccadilly Circus while the show is still running you will see the same artwork that is on my mug, on a very large scale and on the front of The Criterion.

Souvenirs: Blue & White Porcelain Mug, The Foundling Museum, London WC1N, c.2008.

Tags

17th Century, blue and white porcelain, Georgian Britain, Grahame Clarke, London, Mug, Museums, Porcelain, Souvenirs, Ted, The Foundling Museum, Thomas Coram

This mug means a lot to me and it usually has pride of place on my welsh dresser (when its not being photographed next to Ted).

Firstly, it represents my first attempts to explore London in any great depth. When I was a Boy Scout (which was so long ago the notion of girl Scouts wasn’t even entertained) I visited London and had my photograph taken outside Buckingham Palace, but this, and subsequent sightseeing tours and theatre breaks required little organisation on my part. I think it was an article in the BBC History Magazine that inspired me to visit The Foundling Museum and lead me to investing in a map of London, so I could walk there from Kings Cross Station. I felt very adventurous!

Secondly, this is the best souvenir in my collection; in that it rekindles so many thoughts and memories relating to what is a very emotional subject. The mug depicts Captain Thomas Coram finding an abandoned child, a foundling, which was such a common occurrence in 17th Century London that the Captain felt it necessary to establish an institution to take care of some of these abandoned children; The Foundling Hospital. The museum, like the mug, contrasted the charitable figure of Coram and the levels of poverty that drove women to abandon their children or to leave them in the care of Coram following the foundation of the Hospital. The mug, for me, is about hope and despair, in equal measure; plus any personal feelings I might have about that particular day in history when I spotted it behind the museums reception desk.

Thirdly, this was my first souvenir mug. The base of the mug informs me that it was crafted by Grahame Clarke who produces the “finest of hand-made porcelain”, according to his website. It is very well done and my photograph does not really do it justice.