Not currently on display at the V&A

Costume Design

1937 (Drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Costume design by George Kirsta for a carnival figure in the Galop in Bronislava Nijinska's ballet The Beloved One (La bien aimee), produced by the Markova Dolin Ballet, 1937. Full length featureless female figure wearing knee length ballet dress with off the shoulder pale rose bodice, with 'cloud' trimming across the upper edge and upper arms in white shaded grey, set with a fine black bow at the centre. The bodice continues into a pale rose overskirt, cutaway at front, edged with similar 'cloud' trimming as the bodice in shaded grey white and set with a single black star to left; The knee-length bell-shaped underskirt is trimmed with a black star and a fine black line ending in a bow with tails; at the lower edge is a pink wash indicating underskirts. The figure wears a small black cocked hat trimmed with gold and an ostrich plume. Pencil, watercolour and gold paint. Annotated, signed and dated. On the reverse, directions to costumier and other annotations possibly relating to the reproduction of the design.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Watercolour, gold paint and pencil on paper
Brief description
Costume design by George Kirsta for a Carnival dancer in the Galop in Bronislava Nijinska's ballet The Beloved One (La bien aimee), produced by the Markova Dolin Ballet, 1937.
Physical description
Costume design by George Kirsta for a carnival figure in the Galop in Bronislava Nijinska's ballet The Beloved One (La bien aimee), produced by the Markova Dolin Ballet, 1937. Full length featureless female figure wearing knee length ballet dress with off the shoulder pale rose bodice, with 'cloud' trimming across the upper edge and upper arms in white shaded grey, set with a fine black bow at the centre. The bodice continues into a pale rose overskirt, cutaway at front, edged with similar 'cloud' trimming as the bodice in shaded grey white and set with a single black star to left; The knee-length bell-shaped underskirt is trimmed with a black star and a fine black line ending in a bow with tails; at the lower edge is a pink wash indicating underskirts. The figure wears a small black cocked hat trimmed with gold and an ostrich plume. Pencil, watercolour and gold paint. Annotated, signed and dated. On the reverse, directions to costumier and other annotations possibly relating to the reproduction of the design.
Dimensions
  • Height: 332mm
  • Width: 249mm
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • "La bien aimee / Galopp" (Textual information; French; Lower left corner; Handwriting; Watercolour)
    Translation
    The Beloved One / Galop
  • "George Kirsta / 1937" (Signature; date; Lower right hand corner; Handwriting; Watercolour)
  • "kak krec(illegible)" (Textual information; Russian; Roman; Reverse upper left hand corner; Handwriting; Pencil; Unknown)
  • "(Carnaval) / Rosslyn / L. / 98 / B.(crossed out) / 138 (crossed out)./ 44 / B. / 80 / W. 60 / H (crossed out) / (illegible crossed out) / S.W. / 44 / 70." (Reverse, upper left hand side; Handwriting; Pencil; Unknown)
  • Miscellaneous instructions relating to reproduction of design (Reverse; Handwriting; Pencil; Unknown)
Credit line
Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest
Object history
This costume was designed by George Kirsta for a dancer in the Galop in Bronislava Nijinska's ballet "The Beloved One" which she mounted for the Markova-Dolin Ballet in 1937 (she had choreographed the ballet for the Ida Rubinstein company in 1928). The design came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest and was probably acquired by him as a possible illustration in one of his publications on design for the ballet.
Subject depicted
Collection
Accession number
S.197-2000

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Record createdDecember 18, 2000
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