
© Grayson Perry courtesy of the artist and the Victoria Miro gallery. Photo: Digital Photographic Services
The pot depicts a fictional transvestite festival in Chelmsford based on the real story of the Chelmsford Sissies. Sir Thomas Sissye was a Royalist who surrendered his band to Roundhead troops in 1648. As a humiliation Sissye and his men were forced to parade through Chelmsford wearing women's dress. Perry's alternative history is both wishful and celebratory. The transfer prints on the side refer to the expanding housing estates around the town.
The artist.