Woven bead braid made by ballerina Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) when young. Glass beads on thread.

Narrow woven bead band formed into long loop, of black beads with regular sprays of blue and pink flowers with green foliage.

Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest

The brad came with a note in Margaret Rolfe's hand: "Handle with Great Care weak in several places. This was made by Marie Taglioni when young - she gave it to mother who gave it to me. Margaret Rolfe."
It is part of a unique collection of memorabilia and personal effects which evoke Marie Taglioni in the last decades of her life. She was a keen needlewoman and the collection contains both examples of her own work and her personal sewing accessories.
A collection of Taglioni memorabilia was amassed by Margaret Rolfe, the granddaughter of Taglioni's closest friend in London, Mrs Boggs Rolfe; she attended Taglioni's dancing classes and received many gifts of Taglioni memorabilia, both from Taglioni herself and from her grandmother. These she passed to Cyril Beaumont, probably for the London Archives of the Dance (a number of the objects were referred to in "The London Archives of the Dance and some of its Treasures" by Cyril Beaumont, Ballet Annual, first issue, Adam & Charles Black, London, 1947, p110); the Archives never achieved an independent home and part of the collection, including the Taglioni memorabilia, was stored with Cyril Beaumont, where it became inextricably mixed with his own collection and came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.

S.803-2001