Portrait of Anna Pavlova by Laura Knight
Drawing
1911 (drawn)
1911 (drawn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Anna Pavlova was one of the most famous ballerinas of all time. With her large eyes, long neck, high cheekbones and dark hair, Pavlova's looks typified everyone's ideal of a classical ballerina. Born in St Petersburg in 1881, Pavlova was inspired to dance after seeing a production of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. She trained at the Imperial Theatre School but by 1906 she was associated with the revolutionary ideas of Mikhail Fokine, who choreographed the famous Dying Swan for her.
Laura Knight was fascinated by the theatre, ballet and the circus, and was thrilled when she first saw Pavlova dance with her partner Michael Mordkin, probably in London during their 1910 tour. Even when she lived in Cornwall, Laura Knight spent months in London every year and loved watching the ballet at the Empire Theatre and the Palace Theatre. This drawing is undated and may have been executed at the Palace Theatre season in 1911 when Pavlova was partnered by Laurent Novikov, or later when Laura Knight sketched her for a book at her house in Hampstead .
Laura Knight was fascinated by the theatre, ballet and the circus, and was thrilled when she first saw Pavlova dance with her partner Michael Mordkin, probably in London during their 1910 tour. Even when she lived in Cornwall, Laura Knight spent months in London every year and loved watching the ballet at the Empire Theatre and the Palace Theatre. This drawing is undated and may have been executed at the Palace Theatre season in 1911 when Pavlova was partnered by Laurent Novikov, or later when Laura Knight sketched her for a book at her house in Hampstead .
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Portrait of Anna Pavlova by Laura Knight (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Drawn on paper |
| Brief description | Portrait of the dancer Anna Pavlova (1881-1931) Pencil drawing by Laura Knight (1877-1970), probably drawn at the Palace Theatre 1911. Bequest of Vivian Ellis. |
| Physical description | Pencil drawing on cartridge paper glued to a larger card support, showing a three-quarters view of the head and shoulders of Anna Pavlova, looking to her right, with slight working drawings above it of the outline of her head and shoulders and the profile of her nose and forehead. A protective sheet of paper has been glued to the mount on which is inscribed in red crayon: 'VERY VALUABLE IRREPLACABLE ORIGINAL' and the instructions in pencil: 'Please make a lino block if at all possible - otherwise a s/u h/t 100. Send block mounted to Weidenfeld & Nicholson 6 Cork Street AS SOON AS POSSIBLE By March 18th' |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Bequest of Vivian Ellis |
| Object history | This drawing was bequeathed by Beverley Nichols to Vivian Ellis and his sister Hermione Ellis. A copy, obviouisly an extract from his will, was glued to the backboard of the original frame reading: 'To Vivian Ellis and Miss Hermione Ellis, my portrait of Pavlova by Laura Knight and to the survivor of them on the death on one.' The backboard was also inscribed in 'biro: 'FROM BEVERLEY NICHOLS' and 'ANNA PAVLOVA BY LAURA KNIGHT' |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Anna Pavlova was one of the most famous ballerinas of all time. With her large eyes, long neck, high cheekbones and dark hair, Pavlova's looks typified everyone's ideal of a classical ballerina. Born in St Petersburg in 1881, Pavlova was inspired to dance after seeing a production of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. She trained at the Imperial Theatre School but by 1906 she was associated with the revolutionary ideas of Mikhail Fokine, who choreographed the famous Dying Swan for her. Laura Knight was fascinated by the theatre, ballet and the circus, and was thrilled when she first saw Pavlova dance with her partner Michael Mordkin, probably in London during their 1910 tour. Even when she lived in Cornwall, Laura Knight spent months in London every year and loved watching the ballet at the Empire Theatre and the Palace Theatre. This drawing is undated and may have been executed at the Palace Theatre season in 1911 when Pavlova was partnered by Laurent Novikov, or later when Laura Knight sketched her for a book at her house in Hampstead . |
| Bibliographic reference | Oil Paint and Grease Paint by Dame Laura Knight, published Ivor Nicholson & Watson, 1936
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| Other number | THM/181 - V&A Archive number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.193-2007 |
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| Record created | October 30, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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