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Design

1955 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Piper, John (designer)
Place of origin
Great Britain (designed)

Framed and mounted card and paper collage representing a stage setting of a grey wall with four black arches, each outlined in yellow; one black rectangular opening also outlined in yellow, above which are four irregularly shaped windows or shutters, each painted with eyes and lips. To either side of the wall is a blue column. The collage, in poster paint and gouache, is mounted on a loose-weave hessian backing to which three cut-out grey clouds are also attached. This in turn is mounted on grey cartridge paper.


Object details

Categories
Designs
Entertainment & Leisure
Object type
Design
Materials and techniques
Painted paper and card collage on hessian
Paper
Card
Poster Colour
Gouache
Hessian
Painted
Cut-Out
Collage
Brief description
Set design by John Piper (1903-1992) for Cranks, an entertainment devised by John Cranko with music by John Addison, New Watergate Theatre, 19 December 1955, transferring to St. Martin's. 1 March 1956.
Physical description
Framed and mounted card and paper collage representing a stage setting of a grey wall with four black arches, each outlined in yellow; one black rectangular opening also outlined in yellow, above which are four irregularly shaped windows or shutters, each painted with eyes and lips. To either side of the wall is a blue column. The collage, in poster paint and gouache, is mounted on a loose-weave hessian backing to which three cut-out grey clouds are also attached. This in turn is mounted on grey cartridge paper.
Dimensions
  • Dimensions of framed image measured to the mount. height: 54cm
  • Width: 86cm
  • Height: 65cm
  • Dimensions of frame width: 86cm
Credit line
Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Theatre Museum, 2002
Object history
Original design by John Piper for the entertainment Cranks, written and devised by John Cranko with music by John Addison and designs by John Piper, New Watergate Theatre, 19 December 1955, featuring Gordon Heath, Marcia Ashton, Anthony Newley and Gilbert Vernon, transferring to St. Martin's Theatre, 1 March 1956, and later to the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith.
Bibliographic references
  • John Piper and the Stage. Catalogue for the Pallant House Exhibition, Chichester, February-April 1993.
  • John Piper: master of diversity, River & Rowing Museum, Henley on Thames, 2000
  • John Piper, London : Tate Gallery, 1983 no.88
Collection
Theatre and Performance Collection
Accession number
S.53-2003

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Record createdOctober 8, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84719/design-piper-john/
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