realistically modelled, on turned ebonised base with applied silver plaque engraved with an inscription and further metal shields engraved with recipient's names and dates of presentation
56.5cm high including plinth, the figure 47cm high, 185oz 12dwt, 5,772gr

Literature:
'To Hull Actor' and 'Shakespeare', The Hull Daily Mail, 27 August 1947, p. 3.

The Arthur Burrell Trophy was made to commemorate Flight Colonel Arthur C. Burrell who had volunteered for the RAF in 1939 and was killed in action over Sicily in 1943. He was described as '... a sincere artist and an actor of great promise who will be remembered for his performances in Hull with the Playgoers' Society in "The Yellow Jacket"; in "Will Shakespeare" with the Sharrah Drama Club and "Fantastic Flight" for the Drama League".' ('To Hull Actor', The Hull Daily Mail, 27 August 1947, p. 3.). The article goes on to note that 'His friends and admirers are commemorating his work by the provision of this trophy to be competed for annually by teams in the Hull area. It is a figure of Shakespeare designed and modelled by Bainbridge Copnall and will be finished in silver. The statuette will cost 150 guineas.' ('Shakespeare', The Hull Daily Mail, 27 August 1947, p. 3.)

The 'Bainbridge Copnall' noted in the article refers to Edward Bainbridge Copnall, M.B.E. (1903-1973), the noted British sculptor and painter. Copnall was born in Cape Town but moved to West Sussex as a child after the death of his mother. Both his father and an uncle were artists so it was perhaps inevitable that Edward would also pursue an artistic career, studying at both Goldsmiths Art School and the Royal Academy. While his initial interest was in painting he turned to sculpture in 1929 and was to receive an early commission, still among his celebrated works, to design the external sculptural scheme for the Royal Institute of British Architects headquarters in Portland place. At the time he designed the present work he was head of the Sir John Cass School of Art, a post he held from 1945 to 1953.

Andrew Penny M.B.E., the President of the Festival said “Whilst it may appear we are literally selling off the family silver, it makes much more sense to realise this statue as an asset than to present an extremely weighty trophy to a young person who might worry about the security implications of holding it for a year at home. We can do a great deal with the funds raised to achieve the great aims of the founders of the Festival Movement; “to pace each other on the road to excellence.”

The Hull Musical Festival was founded in 1906 to provide competitive classes in sections for Instrumental Music, Singing, Dance, Speech and Drama. It became a registered charity in 1978 (charity no. 507766) with the aims of ‘the advancement of the education of the public in the arts of music, dancing, literature and acting in all their branches’.The Arthur Burrell Memorial Trophy was presented to the Festival in 1948, to be awarded annually as a prize in the Speech and Drama section. The Festival continues to provide a well-supported music festival and a highly over-subscribed dance festival in Hull each year, but sadly, the Speech and Drama section fell out of fashion and has not been held for some years.The Festival awards a mixture of certificates, medals, trophies, cash prizes and bursaries to performers in music and dance, in addition to providing valuable feedback from professional adjudicators. In the coming months, the trustees will be carefully considering how to use the funds realised by the sale of the Arthur Burrell Trophy to further the aims of the charity and to best support the education and development of young performers from the local area.

Tennants are grateful to Deborah Roberts from the Goldsmiths' Company library for her assistance in identifying the maker’s mark.