Van Amburgh, the Brute Tamer of Pompeii

Handcoloured theatrical souvenir plate engraved with a portrait of Mr Van Amburgh in the role of the Brute Tamer of Pompeii. The portrait has applied clothing of metal foil representing armour with a metal foil and tinsel ornament crown and sword. The portrait has been cut from a sheet and mounted on card decorated with five applied brush cotton wild animals, with handdrawn features and markings. Such theatrical souvenirs would have been sold plain for colouring and tinselling at home.

Van Amburgh was an early lion tamer, and is usually credited with being one of the first lion tamers to put his head inside a lion's mouth. Van Amburgh developed his act in New York, and his London debut was in Astley's in August 1838. Queen Victoria enjoyed his shows and comissioned a portrait of him, completed in 1838.

Van Amburgh has the distinction amongst early lion tamers of being one of the few to die at home.