Theatre Costume
mid 18th century
| Place of origin |
Costume worn in private court performances at the Meleto Castle, Tuscany, ca. 1750. Brown pink and silver brocade, back fastened with short sleeves in pale silk over which are elaborate hanging oversleeves. The front of the costume is split to thigh level. Applique silver strip and thread motifs simulate frogging at the front, the edges bring trimmed with silver metal braid. The front skirts are turned back and are appliqued with silver tissue and silver metal thread raised embroidery.
Object details
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| Object type | |
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| Brief description | Theatre costume of brown pink and silver brocade worn in private court performances at the Meleto Castle, Tuscany, ca. 1750 |
| Physical description | Costume worn in private court performances at the Meleto Castle, Tuscany, ca. 1750. Brown pink and silver brocade, back fastened with short sleeves in pale silk over which are elaborate hanging oversleeves. The front of the costume is split to thigh level. Applique silver strip and thread motifs simulate frogging at the front, the edges bring trimmed with silver metal braid. The front skirts are turned back and are appliqued with silver tissue and silver metal thread raised embroidery. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | This costume comes from Meleto Castle in Tuscany, where there is a private theatre, which was opened in 1741. It is a very early example of a costume made specially for the stage and, although probably used in productions of plays, it was also undoubtedly used for masques and other entertainments which included dancing. Sarah Woodcock & Philip Dyer, 1981. Textiles Department of the V&A have confirmed that both fabric and embroidery cannot de dated more precisely that mid 18th century |
| Bibliographic reference | Inaugural Conference for the Ricasoli Collection
Patrons, Politics, Music and Art in Italy, 1738-1859.
University of Louisville, March 14-18, 1989 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.796-1982 |
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| Record created | June 17, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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