Comments and Tags (0)
Share
Download as PDF

Costume of the slave for the ballet "Le Dieu Bleu" (The Blue god)

Costumes
Inventory number
2018.3.12.10af.CO.SC.1912.FR
Author:
Léon BAKST (Russian, 1866 - 1924)
Description
The costume is from ivory wool with painted geometrical ornaments, belt is from black silk satin with the metalllic embroidery. It was made at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris for the premiere held on May 13, 1912 on the Léon BAKST drawings. M. LANDOFF and Marie MUELLE were the costumiers.

"Le Dieu bleu" is a ballet in one act choreographed by Michel Fokine to music by Reynaldo Hahn, set to a libretto by Jean Cocteau and Federico de Madrazo y Ochoa. Created on May 13, 1912 by Serge de Diaghilev's Ballets Russes at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, it has Vaslav Nijinski and Tamara Karsavina as main performers. Léon Bakst designed the sets and costumes based his ideas on the posters and printed materials for the Cambodian Ballet's 1906 productions in France.
Ballet impresario and producer Sergei Diaghilev staged two exotic ballets for the Ballets Russes: Cléopâtre in 1909 and Scheherazade in 1910, both great successes with the Parisian public. He hoped that Le Dieu bleu (another exotic ballet) would be equally successful. But the ballet was a failure at the premiere in Paris. Le Dieu bleu was staged three times in Paris in 1912, three times in London in 1913, and revived in London in April 2011.
Materials
Cotton
Silk
Embroidery thread
Metallic embroidery
Origin
1912 Paris, France
Exhibitions History
• 2009.04.25–2009.05.24. ’Revoliution & Fashion. Stream of Beauty in Russian Exile. From Alexandre Vassiliev collection.’ Tama Art University Museum, Tokyo, Japan. Catalogue.
• 2011.09.17–2012.02.29. ‘Elegance in Exile. Between Fashion and Costume, the Diaghilev Era. From the collection of Alexandre Vassiliev and Toni Candeloro.’ Curators: Francesca Della Bernardina and Alexandre Vassiliev. The Museum and Study Centre of the History of Fabrics and Costume (Palazzo Mocenigo Museum), Venice, Italy. Catalogue.
• 2016.06.08–2016.08.28. ‘Leon Bakst. In Honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Artist’s Birth.’ Curators: John Ellis Bowlt and Avtonomova Natalia. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia.
• 2016.10.23–2017.01.15. ‘Designing Dream. A celebration of Leon Bakst.’ Curators: Celia Bernasconi and John Ellis Bowlt. New National Museum of Monaco, Monaco. Catalogue.
• 2018.06.19–2018.10.26. ‘The scene and costumes. The history of theatre costume from the collection of Alexandre Vassiliev foundation’ Cesis History and Art museum (Cesis castle manor house), Latvia.
• 2024.08.02–2024.09.20. ‘The Show must go on. From the collection of Alexandre Vassiliev foundation.’ Visaginas Festival of Spaces 2024, Cultural Center, Visaginas, Lithuania.• 2024.08.02–2024.09.20. ‘The Show must go on. From the collection of Alexandre Vassiliev foundation.’ Visaginas Festival of Spaces 2024, Cultural Center, Visaginas, Lithuania.