The Peacock Skirt
Print
1893 (drawn), 1907 (printed)
1893 (drawn), 1907 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Line block print depicting Salome, viewed from the back, in a flowing robe with a dramatic stylised peacock design on the skirt, as well as an elaborate headdress complete with stylised peacock feathers, some of which trail down her back. To her left is another peacock within a decorative dotted, scalloped border, whilst on her right is an androgynous figure, generally assumed to be the character of the Young Syrian in the play, with his left arm partially outstretched and wearing a pleated knee-length robe.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
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| Materials and techniques | Line block print |
| Brief description | Line block print of an illustration by Aubrey Beardsley, 'The Peacock Skirt', plate II for Oscar Wilde's 'Salome', 1893. Printed in Germany, 1907. |
| Physical description | Line block print depicting Salome, viewed from the back, in a flowing robe with a dramatic stylised peacock design on the skirt, as well as an elaborate headdress complete with stylised peacock feathers, some of which trail down her back. To her left is another peacock within a decorative dotted, scalloped border, whilst on her right is an androgynous figure, generally assumed to be the character of the Young Syrian in the play, with his left arm partially outstretched and wearing a pleated knee-length robe. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Object history | According to Stephen Calloway in his book, Aubrey Beardsley, London: V&A Publications, 1998, p. 66: 'Whilst retaining some slight reminiscences and mannerisms of Beardsley's Mantegnesque style, The Peacock Skirt, of all the Salome pictures, most clearly reveals his great debt to Whistler's painted decorations in the house of Frederick Leyland.' |
| Association | |
| Literary reference | Oscar Wilde's Salome |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.22146:2 |
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| Record created | August 18, 2015 |
| Record URL |
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