Set Design
1952 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Great Britain’s leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel’s traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.
Rossini’s comic opera La Cenerentola (1817), is based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale Cinderella (1697). Prince Ramiro holds a ball and will choose the most beautiful woman in attendance to be his wife. Cinderella overcomes the malevolence of her step-sisters and step-father to captivate the Prince. Messel designed fun and light-hearted costumes and sets for the 1952 Glyndebourne production. The production proved popular, and was revived five times.
Wreathed columns form a key element of the ante room in Prince Ramiro’s luxurious palace, the setting for his romance with Cinderella. Messel created wing pieces with angled wreathed columns to heighten the illusion of space on the small stage.
Rossini’s comic opera La Cenerentola (1817), is based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale Cinderella (1697). Prince Ramiro holds a ball and will choose the most beautiful woman in attendance to be his wife. Cinderella overcomes the malevolence of her step-sisters and step-father to captivate the Prince. Messel designed fun and light-hearted costumes and sets for the 1952 Glyndebourne production. The production proved popular, and was revived five times.
Wreathed columns form a key element of the ante room in Prince Ramiro’s luxurious palace, the setting for his romance with Cinderella. Messel created wing pieces with angled wreathed columns to heighten the illusion of space on the small stage.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Charcoal, ink and pencil on tracing paper |
| Brief description | Set design for a wing in the Ante Room of Prince Ramiro's Palace by Oliver Messel for Rossini's opera La Cenerentola, Glyndebourne 1952. |
| Physical description | A set design by Oliver Messel for the Glyndebourne production of La Cenerentola, 1952. Charcoal, ink and and pencil on tracing paper design for a wing prompt featuring wreathed columns. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Design |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Wings for booms prompt' (Ink inscription on the front of the sheet.) |
| Credit line | Acquired with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Friends of the V&A |
| Object history | La Cenerentola, an opera (1817) in two acts, was composed by Rossini with a libretto by Ferretti, and was adapted from the fairy tale Cendrillon (Cinderella) by Charles Perrault (1697). Oliver Messel’s production was first performed by the Glyndebourne Festival Society at Glyndebourne on 18 June 1952; directed by Carl Ebert and featuring Juan Oncina as Don Ramiro and Sesto Bruscantini as Dandini. It was revived in 1953 (Edinburgh Festival), 1954 (Berlin), 1956 (Liverpool), 1959 and 1960 (Glyndebourne). Lord Snowdon, Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's theatre designs and other designs and artefacts. The designs were briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being housed at the V&A from 1981 on indefinite loan. The V&A Theatre Museum purchased the Oliver Messel collection from Lord Snowdon in 2005. Historical significance: Messel worked for Glyndebourne from 1951 to 1959, when he was at the height of his popularity as a designer for the stage. His work for Glyndebourne in this period is regarded as some of his best designs. |
| Production | Reason For Production: Commission |
| Summary | Great Britain’s leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel’s traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean. Rossini’s comic opera La Cenerentola (1817), is based on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale Cinderella (1697). Prince Ramiro holds a ball and will choose the most beautiful woman in attendance to be his wife. Cinderella overcomes the malevolence of her step-sisters and step-father to captivate the Prince. Messel designed fun and light-hearted costumes and sets for the 1952 Glyndebourne production. The production proved popular, and was revived five times. Wreathed columns form a key element of the ante room in Prince Ramiro’s luxurious palace, the setting for his romance with Cinderella. Messel created wing pieces with angled wreathed columns to heighten the illusion of space on the small stage. |
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| Bibliographic reference | Pinkham, Roger (ed.) Oliver Messel: an exhibition held at the Theatre Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, 22 June - 30 September 1983.
London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1983. 200p., ill
ISBN 0905209508) |
| Other number | ROT 319 - TM Rotation Number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.477-2006 |
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| Record created | October 5, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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