Drawing
c 1911 (hand drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Pencil sketch made by Valentine Gross of Vaslav Nijinsky and Tamara Karsavina in Scene II in Petrushka, Diaghilev Ballets Russes, made in Théâtre de Champs-Elysées during rehearsal or performance, ca. 1911.
Diaghilev Ballets Russes Petrushka (also transliterated Petrouchka) was first premiered in Paris at Théâtre du Châtelet on 13 June 1911, according to Diaghilev and The Golden Age of The Ballets Russes 1909 - 1929, edited by Jane Pritchard, first published by V&A Publishing in 2010. This production is set in the carnival atmosphere of a pre-Lenten fair in 19th century St. Petersburg.
This sketch is part of the Valentine Gross Archive (THM/165), held by the V&A Department of Theatre and Performance. Valentine Gross Archive contains research material and artwork, including sketches, studies, drawings, pastels and illustrations. Only the artwork materials have been catalogued with museum numbers and given item level descriptions found in the Search the Collections webpage.
Valentine Gross, a.k.a. Valentine Hugo, was a French art student in Paris in the 1910s. She became a ballet enthusiast, illustrator, researcher and painter. Valentine Gross witnessed annual seasons of Diaghlev Ballets Russes in Paris and made preminary sketches during performances and rehearsals between 1909 and 1914. She later worked them up into pencil or coloured drawings of various degrees of finish including illustrations and paintings.
Some of the sketches feature in the book Nijinsky on Stage by Richard Buckle, published in London by Studio Vista in 1971. This sketch represents Karsavina and Petrushka in his cell in Scene II and features in the book on page 79.
Diaghilev Ballets Russes Petrushka (also transliterated Petrouchka) was first premiered in Paris at Théâtre du Châtelet on 13 June 1911, according to Diaghilev and The Golden Age of The Ballets Russes 1909 - 1929, edited by Jane Pritchard, first published by V&A Publishing in 2010. This production is set in the carnival atmosphere of a pre-Lenten fair in 19th century St. Petersburg.
This sketch is part of the Valentine Gross Archive (THM/165), held by the V&A Department of Theatre and Performance. Valentine Gross Archive contains research material and artwork, including sketches, studies, drawings, pastels and illustrations. Only the artwork materials have been catalogued with museum numbers and given item level descriptions found in the Search the Collections webpage.
Valentine Gross, a.k.a. Valentine Hugo, was a French art student in Paris in the 1910s. She became a ballet enthusiast, illustrator, researcher and painter. Valentine Gross witnessed annual seasons of Diaghlev Ballets Russes in Paris and made preminary sketches during performances and rehearsals between 1909 and 1914. She later worked them up into pencil or coloured drawings of various degrees of finish including illustrations and paintings.
Some of the sketches feature in the book Nijinsky on Stage by Richard Buckle, published in London by Studio Vista in 1971. This sketch represents Karsavina and Petrushka in his cell in Scene II and features in the book on page 79.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pencil on paper |
| Brief description | Pencil sketch made by Valentine Gross of Vaslav Nijinsky and Tamara Karsavina in Scene II in Petrushka, Diaghilev Ballets Russes, made in Théâtre de Champs-Elysées during rehearsal or performance, ca. 1911 |
| Physical description | Pencil sketch on paper of Vaslav Nijinsky in the title role of Mikhail Fokine's ballet Petrushka, 1911. Showing Petrouchka downstage executing a leap, his left arm straight up in the air, his right arm at an angle to his body pointing behind him. He is wearing a belted tunic and checked trousers, and behind him is the figure of the ballerina. There are very faint pencil markings verso. The paper has two small holes down the right side, as if originally contained in an album, and has a small circular sticker bottom right with the number 137 printed in red lettering. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Jean Hugo |
| Object history | Nijinsky created the role of the marionette Petrushka for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes in 1911. Valentine Gross drew many sketches of the dancers during their performance in Paris, capturing the movement and costumes of famous dancers including Nijinsky. |
| Production | Valentine Gross drew many sketches of Diaghilev's dancers in his Ballets Russes Company in Paris. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Literary references |
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| Summary | Pencil sketch made by Valentine Gross of Vaslav Nijinsky and Tamara Karsavina in Scene II in Petrushka, Diaghilev Ballets Russes, made in Théâtre de Champs-Elysées during rehearsal or performance, ca. 1911. Diaghilev Ballets Russes Petrushka (also transliterated Petrouchka) was first premiered in Paris at Théâtre du Châtelet on 13 June 1911, according to Diaghilev and The Golden Age of The Ballets Russes 1909 - 1929, edited by Jane Pritchard, first published by V&A Publishing in 2010. This production is set in the carnival atmosphere of a pre-Lenten fair in 19th century St. Petersburg. This sketch is part of the Valentine Gross Archive (THM/165), held by the V&A Department of Theatre and Performance. Valentine Gross Archive contains research material and artwork, including sketches, studies, drawings, pastels and illustrations. Only the artwork materials have been catalogued with museum numbers and given item level descriptions found in the Search the Collections webpage. Valentine Gross, a.k.a. Valentine Hugo, was a French art student in Paris in the 1910s. She became a ballet enthusiast, illustrator, researcher and painter. Valentine Gross witnessed annual seasons of Diaghlev Ballets Russes in Paris and made preminary sketches during performances and rehearsals between 1909 and 1914. She later worked them up into pencil or coloured drawings of various degrees of finish including illustrations and paintings. Some of the sketches feature in the book Nijinsky on Stage by Richard Buckle, published in London by Studio Vista in 1971. This sketch represents Karsavina and Petrushka in his cell in Scene II and features in the book on page 79. |
| Associated object | THM/165 (Archive record) |
| Other number | THM/165 - Archive number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.633-1989 |
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| Record created | March 10, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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