Costume Design
1952 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Oliver Messel (1904-1978) was Britain’s leading theatre designer throughout the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s, mastering every aspect of entertainment - ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue - as well working in interior decoration and textile design. His lavish, painterly and romantic concepts were perfectly in tune with the times and earned him an international reputation. By 1960, however, that style was becoming unfashionable, and Messel gradually abandoned theatre and built a new career designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.
Rossini’s comic opera La Cenerentola (1817), is based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale Cinderella (1697). Prince Ramiro holds a ball and will choose the most beautiful woman in attendance to be his wife. Cinderella overcomes the malevolence of her step-sisters and step-father to captivate the Prince. Messel designed fun and light-hearted costumes and sets for the 1952 Glyndebourne production. The production proved popular, and was revived five times.
The Baron, Don Magnifico, Cinderella’s step-father, dreams that one day he will be a grandfather of a King, and hopes Prince Ramiro will choose one of his daughters, Clorinda or Thisbe, to be his wife. The sober dark blue jacket and white breeches and stockings are counterbalanced by a flamboyant bright yellow waistcoat with pink decorations, and pink flowers on his shoes and lapel.
Rossini’s comic opera La Cenerentola (1817), is based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale Cinderella (1697). Prince Ramiro holds a ball and will choose the most beautiful woman in attendance to be his wife. Cinderella overcomes the malevolence of her step-sisters and step-father to captivate the Prince. Messel designed fun and light-hearted costumes and sets for the 1952 Glyndebourne production. The production proved popular, and was revived five times.
The Baron, Don Magnifico, Cinderella’s step-father, dreams that one day he will be a grandfather of a King, and hopes Prince Ramiro will choose one of his daughters, Clorinda or Thisbe, to be his wife. The sober dark blue jacket and white breeches and stockings are counterbalanced by a flamboyant bright yellow waistcoat with pink decorations, and pink flowers on his shoes and lapel.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Charcoal, pencil, gouache, paint, watercolour on paper |
| Brief description | Costume design by Oliver Messel for The Baron, Don Magnifico, in Rossini's opera La Cenerentola, 1952. |
| Physical description | A costume design by Oliver Messel for The Baron, Don Magnifico, in the Glyndebourne production of La Cenerentola, 1952. Don Magnifico is depicted in full length facing the viewer, holding a cane in his right hand. He wears a dark blue frock coat, a white jabot, a long yellow waistcoat with pink and orange decoration, white breeches and stockings and white shoes with pink rosettes. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Design |
| Credit line | Acquired with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Friends of the V&A |
| Object history | La Cenerentola, an opera (1817) in two acts, was composed by Rossini with a libretto by Ferretti, and was adapted from the fairy tale Cendrillon (Cinderella) by Charles Perrault (1697). Oliver Messel’s production was first performed by the Glyndebourne Festival Society at Glyndebourne on 18 June 1952; directed by Carl Ebert and featuring Juan Oncina as Don Ramiro and Sesto Bruscantini as Dandini. It was revived in 1953 (Edinburgh Festival), 1954 (Berlin), 1956 (Liverpool), 1959 and 1960 (Glyndebourne). Lord Snowdon, Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's theatre designs and other designs and artefacts. The designs were briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being housed at the V&A from 1981 on indefinite loan. The V&A Theatre Museum purchased the Oliver Messel collection from Lord Snowdon in 2005. Historical significance: Messel worked for Glyndebourne from 1951 to 1959, when he was at the height of his popularity as a designer for the stage. His work for Glyndebourne in this period is regarded as some of his best designs. |
| Production | Reason For Production: Commission |
| Summary | Oliver Messel (1904-1978) was Britain’s leading theatre designer throughout the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s, mastering every aspect of entertainment - ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue - as well working in interior decoration and textile design. His lavish, painterly and romantic concepts were perfectly in tune with the times and earned him an international reputation. By 1960, however, that style was becoming unfashionable, and Messel gradually abandoned theatre and built a new career designing luxury homes in the Caribbean. Rossini’s comic opera La Cenerentola (1817), is based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale Cinderella (1697). Prince Ramiro holds a ball and will choose the most beautiful woman in attendance to be his wife. Cinderella overcomes the malevolence of her step-sisters and step-father to captivate the Prince. Messel designed fun and light-hearted costumes and sets for the 1952 Glyndebourne production. The production proved popular, and was revived five times. The Baron, Don Magnifico, Cinderella’s step-father, dreams that one day he will be a grandfather of a King, and hopes Prince Ramiro will choose one of his daughters, Clorinda or Thisbe, to be his wife. The sober dark blue jacket and white breeches and stockings are counterbalanced by a flamboyant bright yellow waistcoat with pink decorations, and pink flowers on his shoes and lapel. |
| Bibliographic reference | Pinkham, Roger (ed.) Oliver Messel: an exhibition held at the Theatre Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, 22 June - 30 September 1983.
London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1983. 200p., ill
ISBN 0905209508) |
| Other number | ROT 464 - TM Rotation Number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.53-2006 |
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| Record created | May 15, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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