Adele Dumilâtre as Myrtha in Giselle
Print
20/04/1843 (published)
20/04/1843 (published)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Giselle, created in 1841, is the oldest ballet still performed and the supreme example of a Romantic ballet. The peasant girl Giselle commits suicide when betrayed by her aristocratic lover; she becomes a Wili, the spirit of a jilted girl who dies unmarried and spends eternity seeking vengence on all men. To quote Heinrich Heine, who revived the Germanic legend on which the ballet was based, 'At midnight, and in the bright moonlight, they rise in crowds, arrayed in their bridal dresses, wreathed with flowers and sparkling with jewels; their faces, though pale, have the beauty of youth, and winning smiles play upon their lips. Woe to the young man whose evil destiny leads him within the reach of their perfidious fascination! He is compelled to join their wild orgies, and to dance till, from exhaustion, he sinks down and expires.'
Adele Dumilâtre created the role of Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis. In her hand she holds a sprig of rosemary, which symbolises remembrance; garlands of rosemary were often placed on the coffins of young lovers who died of a broken heart. She has used the wand to summon Giselle's spirit, which stands in front of the cross marking her grave.
Adele Dumilâtre created the role of Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis. In her hand she holds a sprig of rosemary, which symbolises remembrance; garlands of rosemary were often placed on the coffins of young lovers who died of a broken heart. She has used the wand to summon Giselle's spirit, which stands in front of the cross marking her grave.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Adele Dumilâtre as Myrtha in Giselle (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Lithograph coloured by hand |
| Brief description | Adele Dumilâtre as Myrtha in Giselle. Lithograph coloured by hand after Jules Bouvier, 1843 |
| Physical description | In a setting of hills, trees and bushes, a female dancer stands on her right leg in arabesque in front of a lake, her arms curved around her head; in her right hand she holds a stem of foliage. Her hair is centre parted and smooth to the head and is crowned with a wreath of pink and yellow flowers. The small blue bodice is trimmed with a pink and a yellow flower and under is a short-sleeved, low-cut, white blouse; from the back emerge green wings. Below the green and yellow pointed waistband, the knee-length, pink-tinted skirt is trimmed with two yellow flounces and, to the left side of front, small groups of flowers; over the skirt is a diaphanous top skirt. Her ballet slippers are tinted blue. To the left, in front of a cross, stands a ghostly draped female figure. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Adele Dumilatre (facsimile signature) / AS MYRTHA. / IN THE BALLET OF GISELLE.' |
| Credit line | Bequeathed by Lady Mary Evans |
| Object history | The lithograph shows Adele Dumilâtre as Myrtha, the Queen of the Wilis, in Giselle. Adele Dumilâtre created the role when the ballet was premiered in Paris in 1841 and later danced it in London. There is a strong impression of a stage performance - the mountains and lake forming a backcloth with the cross in front, the wings formed by the trees and bushes, with the dancer posed on a stage. |
| Historical context | The large souvenir prints of the Romantic ballet, issued in the 1830s and 1840s, are among the most evocative images of dance in the 19th century. Lithography, with its soft quality, enhanced by the delicate yet rich hand-colouring, was ideally suited to the subject - the ballerinas who dominated ballet in the mid-century and the romanticised settings in which they performed; style and subject were perfectly matched. The British lithographs are notable for capturing individual performers and their style, often clearly in a theatrical setting. They capture dance and its interpreters at one of its greatest periods. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Giselle, created in 1841, is the oldest ballet still performed and the supreme example of a Romantic ballet. The peasant girl Giselle commits suicide when betrayed by her aristocratic lover; she becomes a Wili, the spirit of a jilted girl who dies unmarried and spends eternity seeking vengence on all men. To quote Heinrich Heine, who revived the Germanic legend on which the ballet was based, 'At midnight, and in the bright moonlight, they rise in crowds, arrayed in their bridal dresses, wreathed with flowers and sparkling with jewels; their faces, though pale, have the beauty of youth, and winning smiles play upon their lips. Woe to the young man whose evil destiny leads him within the reach of their perfidious fascination! He is compelled to join their wild orgies, and to dance till, from exhaustion, he sinks down and expires.' Adele Dumilâtre created the role of Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis. In her hand she holds a sprig of rosemary, which symbolises remembrance; garlands of rosemary were often placed on the coffins of young lovers who died of a broken heart. She has used the wand to summon Giselle's spirit, which stands in front of the cross marking her grave. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.2613-1986 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | August 19, 2004 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
