Le Spectre de la rose
Figurine
20th century (made)
20th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This figurine is modelled after the ballerina Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978) as the young girl and the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky (1889-1950) as the Spirit of the Rose in Mikhail Fokine's one-act ballet Le Spectre de la rose. In the ballet the young girl returns from a ball holding a rose given to her by a young man. When she falls asleep the Spirit of the Rose floods her dreams and she imagines herself dancing with him after he comes through her bedroom window. Karsavina's performance was celebrated for its lightness and waking-dream ethereality, and Nijinsky's for his stupendous elevation and androgynous sensuality.
The ballet was first performed at the Théâtre de Monte Carlo in 1911 with designs by Leon Bakst and brought to the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes later that year. In Russia Fokine had attempted to revolutionise the Imperial Ballet at the Maryinsky Theatre by creating short, unrelated ballets that could be grouped for an evening’s entertainment. The management of the Imperial Ballet did not support him, but the impresario Diaghilev did, and adopted the practice of programming shorter, separate works such as this.
The ballet was first performed at the Théâtre de Monte Carlo in 1911 with designs by Leon Bakst and brought to the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes later that year. In Russia Fokine had attempted to revolutionise the Imperial Ballet at the Maryinsky Theatre by creating short, unrelated ballets that could be grouped for an evening’s entertainment. The management of the Imperial Ballet did not support him, but the impresario Diaghilev did, and adopted the practice of programming shorter, separate works such as this.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Le Spectre de la rose (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Painted plaster |
| Brief description | Painted plaster figure group, Tamara Karsavina as the young girl and Vaslav Nijinsky as the Spirit of the Rose in Mikhail Fokine's one-act ballet Le Spectre de la rose, ca.1911 |
| Physical description | Painted plaster figure group, modelled in the round, of Nijinsky and Karsavina in Le Spectre de la rose. Karsavina is crouching at Nijinsky's feet. He has his arms above his head. Painted in a very dull gold colour. 'LE SPECTRE de la ROSE' is incised around the base. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This figurine is modelled after the ballerina Tamara Karsavina (1885-1978) as the young girl and the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky (1889-1950) as the Spirit of the Rose in Mikhail Fokine's one-act ballet Le Spectre de la rose. In the ballet the young girl returns from a ball holding a rose given to her by a young man. When she falls asleep the Spirit of the Rose floods her dreams and she imagines herself dancing with him after he comes through her bedroom window. Karsavina's performance was celebrated for its lightness and waking-dream ethereality, and Nijinsky's for his stupendous elevation and androgynous sensuality. The ballet was first performed at the Théâtre de Monte Carlo in 1911 with designs by Leon Bakst and brought to the Théâtre du Chatelet in Paris by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes later that year. In Russia Fokine had attempted to revolutionise the Imperial Ballet at the Maryinsky Theatre by creating short, unrelated ballets that could be grouped for an evening’s entertainment. The management of the Imperial Ballet did not support him, but the impresario Diaghilev did, and adopted the practice of programming shorter, separate works such as this. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.870-1981 |
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| Record created | November 17, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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