A pair of Derby theatrical figures c.1765

A pair of Derby theatrical figures c.1765, of David Garrick and Susannah Cibber as the protagonists in Tancred and Sigismunda, Garrick wearing a tall hat trimmed with fur, and holding a scroll in his left hand, Cibber holding a box of bottles in her role as the vivandière, each raised on a low scrolled base applied with flowers, some restoration, 22.5cm. (2)

David Garrick first took the role of Tancred in James Thompson's tragedy at Drury Lane in 1745. He reprised the role regularly, but played opposite Cibber in 1756. Cibber herself was involved in a scandalous lawsuit in 1738, when her husband accused her of having an affair with their lodger, William Sloper. Rumours at the time suggested that the three of them may have been involved in a menage à trois.