拍品專文
Charles Kemble was a distinguished member of the most prominent theatrical family of the late 18th century. One of twelve children born to Roger Kemble and his wife Sarah Ward, he was the younger brother of John Philip Kemble, and of Mrs. Siddons, considered the finest tragedy actress of her generation. Both siblings were painted several times by Lawrence, who knew the family well from his boyhood in Bath. Portraits of John Philip were exhibited at the Royal Academy in the rôles of Coriolanus (1798), Rolla (1800), Hamlet (1801) and Cato (1812), while Lawrence's portrait of Sarah Siddons of 1804 now hangs in the National Gallery.
Educated at the English College in Douai, France, Charles Kemble made his first recorded appearance on stage as Orlando in As You Like It at Sheffield in 1792. His first London appearance was in 1794 as Malcolm to his brother's Macbeth, although he went on to perform a number of comic parts. It was said that he rivalled Garrick in the range of his rôles. The latter part of his career was dogged by financial difficulty following a gift of a share in Covent Garden from his brother. The theatre's fortunes were revived, however, through the performances of Charles's daughter, Fanny, who appeared to great acclaim as Juliet to her father's Mercutio. Between 1832 and 1834 the pair made a tour of America, before Charles retired in 1836. After a series of twelve Royal Command performances in 1840, the actor was honoured by a dinner given for him by the Garrick Club, where his portraits by Henry Perronet Briggs and Andrew Morton still hang.
Charles Kemble's other children are also of interest. His son, John Mitchell Kemble (1807-1857), a historian and philologist, was a pupil and friend of Jacob Grimm, author of Grimm's Fairy Tales, who edited Beowulf and wrote The Saxons in England (1849). His daughter Adelaide married Edward Sartoris in 1843, and, as one of the leading sopranos of her day, was particularly celebrated for her rendition of Bellini's Norma. She became an early muse and friend of Frederic, Lord Leighton, and was painted by him on several occasions.
Educated at the English College in Douai, France, Charles Kemble made his first recorded appearance on stage as Orlando in As You Like It at Sheffield in 1792. His first London appearance was in 1794 as Malcolm to his brother's Macbeth, although he went on to perform a number of comic parts. It was said that he rivalled Garrick in the range of his rôles. The latter part of his career was dogged by financial difficulty following a gift of a share in Covent Garden from his brother. The theatre's fortunes were revived, however, through the performances of Charles's daughter, Fanny, who appeared to great acclaim as Juliet to her father's Mercutio. Between 1832 and 1834 the pair made a tour of America, before Charles retired in 1836. After a series of twelve Royal Command performances in 1840, the actor was honoured by a dinner given for him by the Garrick Club, where his portraits by Henry Perronet Briggs and Andrew Morton still hang.
Charles Kemble's other children are also of interest. His son, John Mitchell Kemble (1807-1857), a historian and philologist, was a pupil and friend of Jacob Grimm, author of Grimm's Fairy Tales, who edited Beowulf and wrote The Saxons in England (1849). His daughter Adelaide married Edward Sartoris in 1843, and, as one of the leading sopranos of her day, was particularly celebrated for her rendition of Bellini's Norma. She became an early muse and friend of Frederic, Lord Leighton, and was painted by him on several occasions.