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Image of Gallery in South Kensington

This object consists of 3 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

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Costume worn by Judi Dench as Cleopatra, Royal National Theatre 1987

Theatre Costume
1987 (made)
Artist/Maker
Chitty, Alison (costume designers)
Percival, Edward (makers)
Place of origin
London (made)

S.776:1-1997
Pleated gold mantle with beaded collar and bat wing sleeves trimmed with tassels.

S.776:2-1997
Gold headdress with small 'wings' attached at back.

S.776:3-1997
Dark brown hair in curls and fastened at back.

Object details

Categories
Entertainment & Leisure
Theatre
Theatre Costume
Object type
Theatre costume
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Theatre Costume
  • Mantle
  • Theatre Costume
  • Headdress
  • Theatre Costume
  • Wig
TitleCostume worn by Judi Dench as Cleopatra, Royal National Theatre 1987 (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Gold lamé, beads, braids, tassels and metal ornaments (mantle)
Brief description
Costume designed by Alison Chitty for Judi Dench as Cleopatra in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, Royal National Theatre, 9 April 1987
Physical description
S.776:1-1997
Pleated gold mantle with beaded collar and bat wing sleeves trimmed with tassels.

S.776:2-1997
Gold headdress with small 'wings' attached at back.

S.776:3-1997
Dark brown hair in curls and fastened at back.
Dimensions
  • Mantle, collar to hem length: 212cm
  • Mantle, across shoulders width: 52cm
  • Mantle weight: 2kg
Gallery label
(07/03/2022)
Gallery rotation, 2022

COSTUME WORN BY JUDI DENCH AS CLEOPATRA IN ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
1987

Judi Dench wore this costume in the final scene of the National Theatre’s 1987 production of Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Peter Hall. The long, tunic-style coat and billowing trousers flowed like a skirt and allowed Dench to move freely in her energetic, witty and intelligent portrayal of the Egyptian queen.

Designed by Alison Chitty
Silk, gold and silver thread, sequins, glass beads, gold lamé, braids, tassels and metal ornaments
Museum nos. S.775:1 to 3-1997, S.776:1-1997
Object history
Costumes purchased at the Royal National Theatre charity auction in 1996, or donated by the National Theatre prior to the auction (S.742 - S.810-1997, S.822 - S.824:2-1997). Costumes for this production: S.774:1 to S.776-1997.

The mantle, wig and crown were worn together with S.775:1 to 3-1997.
Associated objects
Collection
Theatre and Performance Collection
Accession number
S.776:1 to 3-1997

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Record createdOctober 7, 2010
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1173846/costume-worn-by-judi-dench-theatre-costume-chitty-alison/
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