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Design for the backcloth of Scene 2 in 'L'Oiseau de Feu'

Watercolour
1926 (made)
Artist/Maker
Natalia Goncharova (designer)
Diaghilev (Commissioner)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

The Fire Bird, Stravinsky's first full-length ballet with choreography by Fokine was founded on a Russian fairy tale and first produced by Diaghilev at the Paris Opera on 25 June 1910 with one set only by Golovin and costumes by Golovin and Bakst. This design was commissioned by Diaghilev for the revival of the piece at the Lyceum Theatre London on 2 November 1926. The sheer power of the glittering gold leaf and the highly stylised treatment of the onion shaped domes combines to give the scene a dreamlike quality suggesting unending vistas in a vast Russian city.

Object details

Categories
Drawings
Designs
Theatre
Object type
Watercolour
TitleDesign for the backcloth of Scene 2 in 'L'Oiseau de Feu'
Materials and techniques
Pen, watercolour and gold
Brief description
Design for the backcloth of Scene 2 in 'L'Oiseau de Feu' by Natalia Gontcharova, watercolour and gold, Paris, ca. 1926
Physical description
The Fire Bird, Stravinsky's first full-length ballet with choreography by Fokine was founded on a Russian fairy tale and first produced by Diaghilev at the Paris Opera on 25 June 1910 with one set only by Golovin and costumes by Golovin and Bakst. This design was commissioned by Diaghilev for the revival of the piece at the Lyceum Theatre London on 2 November 1926. The sheer power of the glittering gold leaf and the highly stylised treatment of the onion shaped domes combines to give the scene a dreamlike quality suggesting unending vistas in a vast Russian city.
Dimensions
  • Height: 60.5cm
  • Width: 66.2cm
Style
Russian School
Credit line
Given by Dr W. A. Propert
Object history
Design for Stravinsky's ballet 'L'Oiseau de feu', produced at the Lyceum Theatre, London on 25 November 1926.
Subjects depicted
Theatre, Scenery
Titles, 'The Fire Bird' (L'Oiseau De Feu)
Bibliographic references
  • Gabriella Belli, ed. La Danza delle Avanguardie. Dipinti, scene e costumi, da Degas a Picasso, da Matisse a Keith Haring. Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto, 2005. ISBN: 887624557X
  • Sjeng Scheijen, ed. Working for Diaghilev. Schoyten, 2004. 271 p.: ill (some col.)
  • 100 Great Paintings in The Victoria & Albert Museum. London: V&A, 1985, p.184
  • Jane Pritchard, ed. Diaghilev and the golden age of the Ballet Russes, 1909-1929 London: V&A Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 9781851776139.
  • Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1932. London: HMSO, 1933.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.2137-1932

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O18378/design-for-the-backcloth-of-watercolour-natalia-goncharova/
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