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Not currently on display at the V&A

The Prince of the Pagodas

Dance Costume
1958 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Two-part costume, consisting of a fitted bodice and cream wool tights, designed by Desmond Heeley and worn by Antoinette Sibley in the ballet The Prince of the Pagodas. Sibley was one of the Subjects of the Prince of the Pagodas in the 1958 Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House production. Photographs of the original 1957 production, including those in the V&A Theatre and Performance department's Houston Rogers collection (reference: Houston Rogers 1265/2), record that the costume would have been worn with a mask, feather trimmed hat and stiff garters.

The Prince of the Pagodas was first choreographed by John Cranko in 1957, with a specially commissioned score by Benjamin Britten. The plot combines elements of Shakespeare’s King Lear with more traditional fairy tale motifs and centres on an ageing ruler who divides his kingdom between his two daughters, Épine and Rose. The elder sister, Épine, receives the smaller share and in revenge turns her sister's suitor into a salamander. Rose must enter a magical world to find her Prince.

Kenneth MacMillan restaged the ballet in 1989, developing the plot with a scenario by writer Colin Thubron to root the fantastical narrative in the real world of human experience.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Dance Costume
  • Bodice
  • Ballet Costume
  • Tights
  • Dance Costume
TitleThe Prince of the Pagodas (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Synthetic silk, polyester, wool, velvet, plastic, crin, sequins and metal
Brief description
Two-part costume, consisting of fitted bodice and cream wool tights. Designed by Desmond Heeley and worn by Antionette Sibley in Act 1 of The Prince of the Pagodas, Royal Ballet, 1958
Physical description
S.471:1-2019: Bodice

Close fitting bodice in tones of cream, pale gold and lilac, with high, upright collar, long hanging outer sleeves and close-fitting inner sleeves.

The bodice of the jacket and the exterior of the outer sleeves are formed from a cream ribbed fabric, possibly silk or a synthetic imitation. The cream inner sleeves are long and narrow and finish at the wrist in an elasticised cuff. They rest against the interior of the outer sleeves, which are lined with pale lilac ribbed polyester. The outer sleeves are edged with a wide length of white, plastic-based material, moulded into tight loops.

Two pairs of oversized looped tassels (formed from the same material) are suspended from the base of each hanging sleeve, with a bow formed from black polyester crin, and white rosettes, used to add detailing at each elbow.

The centre front and centre back panels of the bodice are formed from a pale gold cotton velvet, which extends upwards at the rear to form a high upright collar. These central panels are framed by wide lengths of plastic based material, identical to that used to trim the sleeves, but black, rather than white.

Further detailing has been added to the centre front panel, which features a central vertical length of black silver velvet, framed between curving lines of black sequins.

The bodice also features a stiff collar, formed from curved, translucent panels of polyester crin. A gold metallic disc (resembling a brooch, but formed from crin) is positioned at the centre front of the collar.

The bodice fastens at the centre back with a vertical row of 12 pairs of metal hooks and eyes. It is not lined.

S.471:2-2019: Tights

Pair of long, plain, cream, knitted wool tights, with long loops of black elastic stitched to the front and rear interior.
Dimensions
  • Bodice ( collar to hem, front) length: 49.5cm (approximate)
  • Bodice ( collar to hem, rear) length: 55cm (approximate)
  • Bodice ( outer sleeve, shoulder to cuff) length: 115cm (approximate)
  • Bodice ( inner sleeve, shoulder to cuff) length: 62cm (approximate)
  • Bodice (across shoulders) width: 35cm (approximate)
  • Bodice (interior waist, when measured flat) width: 67cm (approximate)
  • Tights, (waist to base of toe) length: 112cm (approximate)
  • Tights (across front waist) width: 28cm (approximate)
Marks and inscriptions
  • Maker’s label proper left interior of bodice, near fastening: ‘Scott Gray / 8, MONMOUTH STREET W.C.2 / COVENT GARDEN 0607 / ACT I SIBLEY’ Printed and handwritten text. (Handwritten annotation on labels.)
  • Cotton tape label, interior waistband of the tights: ‘SIBLEY, ACT 1” (Handwritten annotation on labels.)
Summary
Two-part costume, consisting of a fitted bodice and cream wool tights, designed by Desmond Heeley and worn by Antoinette Sibley in the ballet The Prince of the Pagodas. Sibley was one of the Subjects of the Prince of the Pagodas in the 1958 Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House production. Photographs of the original 1957 production, including those in the V&A Theatre and Performance department's Houston Rogers collection (reference: Houston Rogers 1265/2), record that the costume would have been worn with a mask, feather trimmed hat and stiff garters.

The Prince of the Pagodas was first choreographed by John Cranko in 1957, with a specially commissioned score by Benjamin Britten. The plot combines elements of Shakespeare’s King Lear with more traditional fairy tale motifs and centres on an ageing ruler who divides his kingdom between his two daughters, Épine and Rose. The elder sister, Épine, receives the smaller share and in revenge turns her sister's suitor into a salamander. Rose must enter a magical world to find her Prince.

Kenneth MacMillan restaged the ballet in 1989, developing the plot with a scenario by writer Colin Thubron to root the fantastical narrative in the real world of human experience.
Collection
Accession number
S.471:1 to 2-2019

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Record createdAugust 14, 2019
Record URL
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