Costume Design
ca.1911 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Petrushka (also transliterated Petrouchka) is set in the carnival atmosphere of a pre-Lenten fair in 19th century St. Petersburg. It was Stravinsky's second ballet for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and used a story of traditional street puppets, the Russian equivalent of Punch and Judy, who are brought to life by a showman. The first performance was given at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, in 1911.
Petrushka was designer Alexandre Benois' most important production. The ballet was frequently revived and between 1911 and 1957 Benois redrew the sets and costumes for 14 different productions. He would often inscribe later designs with the names of the dancers who created the roles, and as his designs are similar in style they can be difficult to date. The majority of the original drawings were annotated and signed in Russian. Many of the later ones are inscribed in French. The majority of the annotations on this design are in French so it may have been made for a later production.
Petrushka was designer Alexandre Benois' most important production. The ballet was frequently revived and between 1911 and 1957 Benois redrew the sets and costumes for 14 different productions. He would often inscribe later designs with the names of the dancers who created the roles, and as his designs are similar in style they can be difficult to date. The majority of the original drawings were annotated and signed in Russian. Many of the later ones are inscribed in French. The majority of the annotations on this design are in French so it may have been made for a later production.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Pencil and watercolour on paper |
| Brief description | Costume design by Alexandre Benois for the Street Dancer with a triangle in Mikhail Fokine's ballet Petrushka, Diaghilev Ballets Russes, 1911 |
| Physical description | Costume design by Alexandre Benois for the Street Dancer with a triangle in Mikhail Fokine's ballet Petrushka, Diaghilev Ballets Russes, 1911. Full length female figure wearing a dull pink short-sleeved jacket over a blue long-sleeved top, a wide harlequin-patterned skirt over a brown petticoat, a white apron, and striped blue and red pantaloons. She has a blue hat with a turned up brim decorated with a chevron pattern in yellow and red, and a striped scarf. She holds a triangle in her left hand and the beater in her right. Annotated with costume details written in French and Russian. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'No.7' (Written in pencil, upper left hand corner) |
| Credit line | Given by the Theatre Museum Association in memory of G.B.L. Wilson |
| Literary references |
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| Summary | Petrushka (also transliterated Petrouchka) is set in the carnival atmosphere of a pre-Lenten fair in 19th century St. Petersburg. It was Stravinsky's second ballet for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and used a story of traditional street puppets, the Russian equivalent of Punch and Judy, who are brought to life by a showman. The first performance was given at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, in 1911. Petrushka was designer Alexandre Benois' most important production. The ballet was frequently revived and between 1911 and 1957 Benois redrew the sets and costumes for 14 different productions. He would often inscribe later designs with the names of the dancers who created the roles, and as his designs are similar in style they can be difficult to date. The majority of the original drawings were annotated and signed in Russian. Many of the later ones are inscribed in French. The majority of the annotations on this design are in French so it may have been made for a later production. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.306-1985 |
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| Record created | July 1, 2009 |
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