Polka / from / Le Diable a quatre
Print
ca. 1845 (made)
ca. 1845 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Polka was originally a Bohemian folk dance. Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi introduced it to London in April 1844 and created an immediate sensation. Thus, hoping to repeat the success, Grisi introduced the polka into the ballet The Devil to Pay (Le Diable a quatre).
The Polka originated in Bohemia, so Grisi's 1843 costume reflected east European national dress. In Le Diable a quatre, she and her partner are dressed in standard ballet costumes of the period; he wears a skirted tunic and she the bell-shaped, calf-length dress with low necked, fitted bodice that had, by the 1840s, become almost a uniform for the ballerina. There is little connected with Poland, where the ballet was set.
The print was originally the front cover of the sheet music. In the 19th century, no self-respecting household was without a piano, and tens of thousands of pieces of music were produced to fulfil the need for home entertainment. Many were decorated with illustrations and portraits of the famous performers of their day.
The Polka originated in Bohemia, so Grisi's 1843 costume reflected east European national dress. In Le Diable a quatre, she and her partner are dressed in standard ballet costumes of the period; he wears a skirted tunic and she the bell-shaped, calf-length dress with low necked, fitted bodice that had, by the 1840s, become almost a uniform for the ballerina. There is little connected with Poland, where the ballet was set.
The print was originally the front cover of the sheet music. In the 19th century, no self-respecting household was without a piano, and tens of thousands of pieces of music were produced to fulfil the need for home entertainment. Many were decorated with illustrations and portraits of the famous performers of their day.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Polka / from / Le Diable a quatre (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Lithograph ink and gold ink on paper, coloured by hand |
| Brief description | Carlotta Grisi and Lucien Petipa in the Polka from Le Diable a Quatre. Illustrated music cover. Lithograph coloured by hand, ca. 1845. |
| Physical description | A male and female dancer above the title POLKA FROM LE DIABLE A QUATRE. The man stands on his right leg, with the left pointed forward; his right arm is curved above his head and his left holds his partner at the waist; he wears a long-sleeved, square-necked, skirted green tunic, with a white undershirt and white puffs at the wrist; his long hair is curled and he has a small moustache. His partner is jumping, about to land on her left point, the right foot pointed at the back; her right arm is curved around her partner's head and her proper left is outstretched. She wears an off-the shoulder, pointed bodice trimmed with posies of roses and flowers; the bell-shaped, below-the-knee skirt is overlaid with a diaphanous layer trimmed towards the hem with garlands of red roses, white flowers and green leaves. Her head is crowned with a band of red roses with green leaves. The image and title are surrounded by a gold line with scrolled decorations at each corner. Signed J Brandard. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Lady Mary Evans |
| Object history | Carlotta Grisi and Jules Perrot had created a sensation in London in 1843 with their rendering of the Polka. When Grisi danced in the ballet The Devil to Pay (Le Diable a quatre) she may have introduced the polka into the ballet. She originally danced the ballet in Paris in in London in 1845, when her partner was Lucien Petipa, and in London in 1846, when her partner was James Silvain. The music was obviously published in London, although the title of the ballet remains in French, even though when performed in London, the English translation, The Devil to Pay, was used. Cyril Beaumont in The Romantic Ballet in Lithographs of the Time, identifies the male dancer as Lucien Petipa. |
| Summary | The Polka was originally a Bohemian folk dance. Jules Perrot and Carlotta Grisi introduced it to London in April 1844 and created an immediate sensation. Thus, hoping to repeat the success, Grisi introduced the polka into the ballet The Devil to Pay (Le Diable a quatre). The Polka originated in Bohemia, so Grisi's 1843 costume reflected east European national dress. In Le Diable a quatre, she and her partner are dressed in standard ballet costumes of the period; he wears a skirted tunic and she the bell-shaped, calf-length dress with low necked, fitted bodice that had, by the 1840s, become almost a uniform for the ballerina. There is little connected with Poland, where the ballet was set. The print was originally the front cover of the sheet music. In the 19th century, no self-respecting household was without a piano, and tens of thousands of pieces of music were produced to fulfil the need for home entertainment. Many were decorated with illustrations and portraits of the famous performers of their day. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.2611-1986 |
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| Record created | October 8, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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