It is thought that this stylized leaf frond was part of the setting designed by Oliver Messel for André Ernest Grétry's 18th century opera, Zémire et Azor, which was performed by the Bath Festival Society in 1955. Designing sets does not just mean creating spatial structures, but creating small details, like this frond, which will enhance the period feel, add a sense of opulence or fantasy. That does not necessarily mean using opulent materials. In this case the sense of 18th century luxurious gilding is achieved by using wired gold braid, but, characteristically, Messel has overlaid it with an unexpected material - clear adhesive tape, which would have been a novelty in the mid-1950s. The flower centres are formed of chandelier drops, which were also frequently used in making Messel's costumes and accessories.

Oliver Messel (1904-1978) was Britain's leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, working in every aspect of entertainment - ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue - as well as in interior decoration and textile design. His lavish, painterly and romantic designs informed by period styles, were perfectly in tune with his times and earned him an international reputation. By 1960, however, Messel's style had become unfashionable, having no sympathy with the new 'kitchen sink' school of theatre. He increasingly concentrated on non-theatrical painting and designing and eventually retired to the Caribbean, where he began a new career designing and building highly idiosyncratic luxury villas.