Food of Love
Produced entirely by hand in a worldwide edition of 300 copies plus 30 Artist's Proofs
Image size approx 355 x 278 mm
Published 1995
One of the eight images from Graham's 'The Life and Times of William Shakespeare' series
For Graham’s notes to accompany this image scroll down the page.
Produced entirely by hand in a worldwide edition of 300 copies plus 30 Artist's Proofs
Image size approx 355 x 278 mm
Published 1995
One of the eight images from Graham's 'The Life and Times of William Shakespeare' series
For Graham’s notes to accompany this image scroll down the page.
Produced entirely by hand in a worldwide edition of 300 copies plus 30 Artist's Proofs
Image size approx 355 x 278 mm
Published 1995
One of the eight images from Graham's 'The Life and Times of William Shakespeare' series
For Graham’s notes to accompany this image scroll down the page.
Notes to accompany ‘Food of Love’ (sixth etching of eight in the series Mr. William Shakespeare, The Life & Times of by Graham Clarke’
© Graham Clarke 1995
FOOD OF LOVE
“If music be the food of love I’ll be a monkey’s uncle” attr. Richard Burbage (Age 55, producer)
Goodness knows what play is being rehearsed here, looks like a Midsummer Nightmare. As so often happens in the theatrical world the “musicians” are cutting up rough, a law unto themselves. The group of minstrels in question (and foreground) are known professionally as Sir Lucas Bambosh and his Frampold Six and a more nauseous bunch of scallywags you’ve never seen or worse still heard. I speak with some authority on the subject of terrible musicians as any of my friends who don’t play in my own band , The Steaming Doobreys, will be pleased to inform you.
The exotic figure striding on stage in the red hat and doublet, orange spotty tights and purple boots is not Old Falstaff, Bottom, Lancelot Gobbo, Dogberry or any other of Master Shakespeare’s noble clowns. It is Sir Lucas Bambosh complaining that the actors are saying their words far too loud and spoiling his boys glorious music.
Poor old Producer.
Hamlet looks pretty grim too in his little chamber behind the scenes, but I suppose he would with all that miserable stuff to cope with let alone the Bambosh Boys awful din from down below. He hears a bumping sound outside the window where a barrel of ale is being hauled up to the chamber above. A simple grasping of the rope ; followed by the swinging of it through the window and unhooking of the load causes him to utter the famous phrase “For this relief much thanks” (Hamlet Act 1 scene i etc etc).
It is rumoured that the two stagehands above, on finding a human skull on their pulley never drank again.
I have been asked not to mention the rats. There are nine of them in the picture, approximately one millionth of London’s contemporary unpleasing rodent population but very fashionable all the same.