Catarina Biancolelli as Columbine. Engraving early 18th century.

On a stage against a landscape with, to her right, a cave, and to her left, trees, stands a female figure in 18th century stage costume, her body half-turned to her right, her head slightly inclined forwards, looking to her right, with her arms bent at waist height, holding a closed fan in her right hand, her left hand turned upwards, as if in appeal. Her hair is curled to front and plaited in a knot at the back with long plaits, bound with pearls, falling to the front; on her head she wears a stylized tiara topped with ostrich plumes and an aigrette. Fitted around her neck is a pearl necklace and a pendant jewel. The bodice is fitted and finished in a point centre front with a decorated stomacher; from the shoulders are shaped lappets, continuing at the back into small scallop-edged 'capes' ending in a tassel; under the lappets are fitted elbow-length sleeves overlaid with a ribbon lattice, finished in lappets; from the elbow fall shaped hanging sleeves beneath which are fitted sleeves to the wrist. The full length skirt is overlaid with lace 'panels' and edged with a fringe; from the back falls a fringed train. Attached at the waist, over the train and skirt, are long shaped 'lappets'.

Given by Dame Marie Rambert

The print is part of the collection of dance prints amassed by Marie Rambert and her husband, Ashley Dukes in the first half of the 20th century. Eventually numbering 145 items, some of which had belonged to the ballerina Anna Pavlova, it was one of the first and most important specialist collections in private hands.
Rambert bought the first print as a wedding present but could not bear to give it away. As the collection grew, it was displayed in the bar of the Mercury Theatre, the headquarters of Ballet Rambert, but in 1968, Rambert gave the collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum; seven duplicates were returned to Rambert, but these are catalogued in Ivor Guest's A Gallery of Romantic Ballet, which was published before the collection came to the V&A. Although often referred to as a collection of Romantic Ballet prints, there are also important engravings of 17th and 18th century performers, as well as lithographs from the later 19th century, by which time the great days of the ballet in London and Paris were over.

This engraving is one of many celebrating the popularity of the commedia dell'arte in France. Columbine, like her lover Harlequin, was originally a servant, maid to the female lover (Inamorata) While the commedia actors usually wore variations on loose tunics and trousers, the female performers wore a theatrical version of contemporary fashion.
Commedia dell'arte (literally 'artistic comedy') developed in 16th century Italy. A company consisted of about ten actors, each of whom developed a specific type of character and comic business, such as a swaggering Captain, old men like Pantaloon or the Doctor, a servant and young lovers. The performance was improvised around these stock characters and a pre-agreed plot. The troups spread into France and came to England in the mid 17th century; stock characters like Harlequin, Columbine, Pantaloon and Clown developed into the English Harlequinade, while Pulcinella, developed into Mr Punch.

As printed: A Paris chez J. Mariette rüe St Jacques aux Colonnes d'Hercules, avec Privil du Roy

This engraving is one of many celebrating the popularity of the commedia dell'arte in France. Columbine, like her lover Harlequin, was originally a servant, maid to the female lover (Inamorata) While the commedia actors usually wore variations on loose tunics and trousers, the female performers wore a theatrical version of contemporary fashion.
Commedia dell'arte (literally 'artistic comedy') developed in 16th century Italy. A company consisted of about ten actors, each of whom developed a specific type of character and comic business, such as a swaggering Captain, old men like Pantaloon or the Doctor, a servant and young lovers. The performance was improvised around these stock characters and a pre-agreed plot. The troupes spread into France and came to England in the mid 17th century; stock characters like Harlequin, Columbine, Pantaloon and Clown developed into the English Harlequinade, while Pulcinella, developed into Mr Punch.

E.4949-1968