Costume Design thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Costume Design

1913 (drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Full length female figure with arms raised above her head, wearing a sleeveless, low necked costume of pleated fabric caught in over breasts with a 'bra' decorated with leaves, pink geometric shapes and a central tassel, and around midriff and waist with narrow triangular strips of fabric decorated with pink geometric shapes and held at the centre with a small pink oval; over the hips bolder tight-fitting triangular shapes, held at the centre front by two gold triangles, with smaller pink triangles along edges and bold pink triangles edged with tiny pink triangles in the centre. From beneath the swathe falls a knee-length transparent pink skirt set with 'pearls', open at the front to reveal tight-fitting knee-length breeches decorated with triangles set with small gold 'leaves' and tassels. On her head she wears a pink turban with aigrette, from under which fall black ringlets, and on her feet are slippers with upturned toes; held in her hands above the head is a pink stole and around her neck is a pearl necklace, with pearl bracelets twined around her right arm. Inscribed: "Ballet Hindou Madame A. Pavlova", signed and dated "Bakst 1913" and with instructions to mounter.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Pencil, watercolour and gouache on paper
Brief description
Costume design by Leon Bakst for Anna Pavlova, probably as the Oriental Enchantress in the ballet Oriental Fantasy, 1913. Pencil, watercolour and gouache.
Physical description
Full length female figure with arms raised above her head, wearing a sleeveless, low necked costume of pleated fabric caught in over breasts with a 'bra' decorated with leaves, pink geometric shapes and a central tassel, and around midriff and waist with narrow triangular strips of fabric decorated with pink geometric shapes and held at the centre with a small pink oval; over the hips bolder tight-fitting triangular shapes, held at the centre front by two gold triangles, with smaller pink triangles along edges and bold pink triangles edged with tiny pink triangles in the centre. From beneath the swathe falls a knee-length transparent pink skirt set with 'pearls', open at the front to reveal tight-fitting knee-length breeches decorated with triangles set with small gold 'leaves' and tassels. On her head she wears a pink turban with aigrette, from under which fall black ringlets, and on her feet are slippers with upturned toes; held in her hands above the head is a pink stole and around her neck is a pearl necklace, with pearl bracelets twined around her right arm. Inscribed: "Ballet Hindou Madame A. Pavlova", signed and dated "Bakst 1913" and with instructions to mounter.
Dimensions
  • At left hand side height: 460mm
  • At top edge width: 260mm
Irregular top edge and right hand side. Mounted and framed as Royal Portrait size in preparation for loan to the Designing Dreams: Leon Bakst at 150 exhibition, Pushkin Museum, 06/06/2016 - 28/08/2016.
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • "BALLET HINDOU / MADAME A. PAVLOVA" (Textual information; Upper right hand corner; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • "BAKST / 1913" (Signature; date; Loser right hand side; Handwriting; Pencil)
  • "Whole mount 1" Margin to show 2" Bottom gold edge" (Textual information; Along right hand side; Handwriting; Pencil; Unknown)
Credit line
Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest
Object history
The design is for Anna Pavlova, probably as the Oriental Enchantress in the ballet Oriental Fantasy, which was seen in London at the London Opera House (later Stoll) in 1913, arranged by M Zajlich to music by 'celebrated Russian composers' and designed by Leon Bakst. The ballet was probably intended to give Pavlova a work that cashed in on the public craze for orientalism that followed Bakst's designs for Scheherazade, created for the Diaghilev Ballets Russes in 1910, but the work does not seem to have become a regular part of Pavlova's repertory.
The design came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.
Subject depicted
Collection
Accession number
S.197-1992

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Record createdAugust 3, 2001
Record URL
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