Not currently on display at the V&A

Purse

1870s (made), (made)

Crocheted black silk purse with steel beed embroidery and metal snap mount worn by ballerina Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) on her chatelaine 1870s. This is one of the items from a collection of Taglioni memorabilia was amassed by Margaret Rolfe, the granddaughter of Taglioni's closest friend in London, Mrs Boggs Rolfe; she attended Taglioni's dancing classes and received many gifts of Taglioni memorabilia, from Taglioni herself, from her grandmother and, after Taglioni's death, from her niece, Marguerite Troubetzkoi. She kept these, with a series of related notes, in various boxes and annotated envelopes (filed separately). These she passed to Cyril Beaumont, for the London Archives of the Dance (a number of the objects were referred to in "The London Archives of the Dance and some of its Treasures" by Cyril Beaumont, Ballet Annual, first issue, Adam & Charles Black, London, 1947, p110); the Archives never achieved an independent home and part of the collection, including the Taglioni memorabilia, was stored with Cyril Beaumont, where it became inextricably mixed with his own collection and came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk thread embroidered with steel beads with silver metal snap mount.
Brief description
Crocheted black silk purse with steel bead embroidery and metal snap mount worn by ballerina Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) on her chatelaine 1870s
Physical description
Small oval purse crocheted in black silk decorated front and back with a bold 7-pointed star in steel beads, with silver metal snap mount with attached small silver metal ring. Stitched to the upper inside edge is a Victorian silver threepenny bit.


Small oval purse crocheted in black silk decorated front and back with a bold 7 pointed star in steel beads, with silver metal snap mount with attached small silver metal ring. Stitched inside at the upper edge is a Victorian silver threepenny bit. Worn by ballerina Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) on her chatelaine.
Dimensions
  • Across centre width: 63mm
  • Excluding SNAP fastener length: 73mm
Credit line
Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest
Object history
The purse came with a note in Margaret Rolfe's hand: "These 2 purses (S.823-2001 and S.824-2001) belonged to Marie Taglioni. She made the one with coloured beads herself. Mother made the one with a star on black crochet. Madame Taglioni wore this on her chatelaine (sic). She put the Threepenny bit to bring luck and never to have a purse with nothing in it. Margaret"
S.825 -2001 and S.826-2001 were also worn by Taglioni on her châtelaine.
It is part of a unique collection of memorabilia and personal effects which evoke Marie Taglioni in the last decades of her life.

Given to the London Archives of the Dance (a number of the objects were referred to in "The London Archives of the Dance and some of its Treasures" by Cyril Beaumont, Ballet Annual, first issue, Adam & Charles Black, London, 1947, p110); the Archives never achieved an independent home and part of the collection, including the Taglioni memorabilia, was stored with Cyril Beaumont, where it became inextricably mixed with his own collection and came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.
Association
Summary
Crocheted black silk purse with steel beed embroidery and metal snap mount worn by ballerina Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) on her chatelaine 1870s. This is one of the items from a collection of Taglioni memorabilia was amassed by Margaret Rolfe, the granddaughter of Taglioni's closest friend in London, Mrs Boggs Rolfe; she attended Taglioni's dancing classes and received many gifts of Taglioni memorabilia, from Taglioni herself, from her grandmother and, after Taglioni's death, from her niece, Marguerite Troubetzkoi. She kept these, with a series of related notes, in various boxes and annotated envelopes (filed separately). These she passed to Cyril Beaumont, for the London Archives of the Dance (a number of the objects were referred to in "The London Archives of the Dance and some of its Treasures" by Cyril Beaumont, Ballet Annual, first issue, Adam & Charles Black, London, 1947, p110); the Archives never achieved an independent home and part of the collection, including the Taglioni memorabilia, was stored with Cyril Beaumont, where it became inextricably mixed with his own collection and came to the Museum as part of the Cyril Beaumont Bequest.
Bibliographic reference
Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Collection
Accession number
S.824-2001

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Record createdDecember 10, 2001
Record URL
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