Not on display

The Moon and Sixpence

Costume Design
1956 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Costume design by Leslie Hurry for a dancer was used in John Gardner's The Moon and Sixpence at Sadler's Wells Theatre in 1956.


Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe Moon and Sixpence (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Pen and sepia, watercolour and ink drawing on paper with velvet swatch
Brief description
Costume design by Leslie Hurry for a dancer in John Gardner's The Moon and Sixpence, Sadler's Wells, 1956
Physical description
Sepia pen, watercolour and ink costume design for a dancer in 1956 production of The Moon and Sixpence at Sadler's Wells Theatre with pink velvet swatch pinned to left side.
Dimensions
  • Height: 46cm
  • Width: 30cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Moon and Sixpence Velvet (Front side at bottom)
  • Miss Gilbert (Dancer?) (Front side bottom left corner in blue ink)
  • £300 Dress 6 yards with annotations Velvet (Reverse side)
Credit line
Given by Mrs Caro Rathbone
Summary
Costume design by Leslie Hurry for a dancer was used in John Gardner's The Moon and Sixpence at Sadler's Wells Theatre in 1956.


Leslie Hurry (1909-1978) trained at the Royal Academy and during the 1930s became known as a surrealist painter. A one-man show in London in 1942 was seen by the theatre director, Michael Benthall, who recommended Hurry to the dancer and choreographer, Robert Helpmann, then planning a ballet based on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The success of his designs set Hurry on a second career as one of the most distinguished theatre designers of his generation. He designed operas, ballets and plays, notably Swan Lake for the Sadler's Wells Ballet in 1943, a production which stayed in the repertoire for thirty years; Venice Preserv'd for Peter Brook (1953); the Ring Cycle at Covent Garden (1954), and Troilus and Cressida at Stratford for Peter Hall (1960), famous for being staged in a sand pit.
Collection
Accession number
S.1498-2014

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

Record createdJuly 3, 2014
Record URL
Download as: JSON