Description
painted wood and fabric, comprising STRETCHING AND SHRINKING CLOWN, unclothed except for neck ruff, white face and red mohican, 68cm x 14cm x 11cm; MOTHER SHIPTON, 94cm x 37cm x 10cm (when assembled) and SCARAMOUCHE, 99cm x 25cm x 25cm (3)
Footnote
Note: Mother Shipton featured as a character in 18th-century plays, and in 1712 the puppeteer Martin Powell advertised the play 'Mother Shipton and the Downfall of Cardinal Wolsey'. The same play was mentioned by the American journalist James Ralph in 1728, writing about the English puppet theatre.
From early Tudor times, Mother Shipton was considered a prophetess, both in her local Yorkshire and around the country. Her many prophesies are said to have included the death of Wolsey, the Civil Wars and the Great Fire of London. She appears in illustrations as an ugly old lady with a hooked nose and an upturned chin. Pepys referred to Mother Shipton, with her appearing as a character in 17th-century plays and pantomime as well as in the puppet theatre where she was usually a trick puppet who smoked a pipe. [V&A]