{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O105508"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O105508/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AU0276/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AU0276/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AU0276","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O105508","accessionNumber":"S.161-1985","objectType":"Dress","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Costume worn by Tamara Toumanova in George Balanchine's ballet 'Balustrade', Original Ballet Russe (formerly de Basil Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo), 51st Street Theatre, New York, 22nd January 1941.  The music for the ballet was composed by Igor Stravinsky (the violin concerto), and the sets and costumes were designed by Pavel Tchelitchev.  The ballet was performed only three times.\nStravinsky called Balustrade 'one of the most satisfactory visualizations of any of my theatre works...a dance dialogue in perfect co-ordination with the dialogues of the music', but the ballet was not a success and was given only three times.\r\n\r\nBalanchine does not seem to have given Tchelitchev any brief for the designs, so his imagination was given full rein and he imposed a personality on the ballet that was not necessarily a reflection of the choreographer's mind.  This creates a problem for audiences who, assuming that the choreographer and designer are working towards a common end, may interpret a ballet in terms of the designs, not the choreography.  Thus Donald Windhem saw the balustrade which formed the set as a symbolic line separating appearance and reality - into the 'conciousness' of the stage danced 'a spirit of the night.  ...and as they (the sequined tights) glow the atmosphere of the dark stage resembles a field of summer night in which fireflies dart, marsh fires glisten, insects, frogs and startled birds sleeplessly move as if scurrying in a tray of jewels.'\r\n\r\nThe Theatre Museum owns seven of the costumes from Blaustrade, bought at Sotheby's in 1969.  The sale catalogue designated them as 'A Wood-nymph', 'A Muse', 'A Tree-Man', 'A Leaf Man', 'The Red Jewel Man', 'The Blue Jewel-Man', and 'The Jewel Girl' (S.161-1985).  There is no indication, however, that these titles relate to the dancers' roles as expressed in the choroegraphy.  The programme only listed the dancers under the four movements of the score - Toccata, Aria, Aria and Capriccio.  Toumanova appeared in the third movement, a pas de trois with Roman Jasinsky and Paul Petroff, and in the Capriccio with the entire cast.\r\n\r\nWhen the costumes were discovered, they had no identification either of dancers or ballet, and it was Philip Dyer who recognused the highly individual skirt design of this costume as the work of Tchelitchev (who had used a similar skirt in the opera Orpheus and Eurydice at the Metropolitan, New York in 1936).  From this knowledge he was eventually able to deduce the ballet.  The costumes were made by Karinska.  The massed sequin jewels, which would have been made up in her own workrooms, and the white braid patternings are particularly characteristic of her work.","physicalDescription":"Costume worn by Tamara Toumanova.  A backless dress, the bodice of which is made of see-through wide-meshed black silk netting.  The high collar which holds the bodice in place and the front of the chest are encrusted with large artificial jewels and bunches of sequins in subtle shades of green, blue, aquamarine and purple, from which the few diamonds and pale garnets stand out.  The bib of jewels is given form by a vermicular pattern of white braid sewn with small brilliants.  The skirt of black georgette is formed of a fringed apron drawn between the legs.  To the right of the waist there is a spray of twisted white braid spreading from a diamond with two pear-shaped diamond drops.  Two black georgette floating panels are attached to the shoulders.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Tchelitchev, Pavel","id":"A13545"},"association":{"text":"costume designers","id":"AAT163428"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Karinska, Barbara","id":"A13546"},"association":{"text":"Costumier","id":"x30527"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"silk net","id":"x32088"},{"text":"Artificial jewels","id":"x30522"},{"text":"sequin","id":"AAT183896"},{"text":"braid","id":"AAT232186"},{"text":"fringe","id":"AAT227830"},{"text":"Silk georgette","id":"x35702"}],"techniques":[{"text":"sewing","id":"AAT53658"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"silk, sequins, artificial jewels","categories":[{"text":"Costumes","id":"THES269529"},{"text":"Dance","id":"THES252984"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2006AU0276"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"008","id":"THES356375"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Theatre costume","id":""}],[{"text":"dance costume","id":"x34504"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"New York","id":"x29030"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1941","earliest":"1941-01-01","latest":"1941-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Width","value":"82.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"box","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"7","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"box","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"58.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"box","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Purchased by the Friends of the Museum of Performance at the Sotheby auction of Costumes and curtains from Diaghilev & de basil Ballets 19 December 1969 part of Lot 104. Given by the Friends to the V&A.\r\nPreviously owned by the Diaghilev and de Basil Ballet Foundation","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Costume worn by Tamara Toumanova in 'Balustrade', 21st Street Theatre, New York, 1941","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Strong, Roy, Ivor Guest, Richard Buckle, Sarah C. Woodcock and Philip Dyer, Spotlight: four centuries of ballet costume, a tribute to the Royal Ballet, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1981.","id":"AUTH349939"},"details":"","free":""},{"reference":{"text":"<i>As worn by... : an exhibition of theatre, opera and ballet costumes by arrangement with the Theatre Museum</i>, Salisbury : Salisbury Festival of the Arts, 1975","id":"AUTH354787"},"details":"no.34","free":""}],"production":"Reason For Production: Commission","productionType":{"text":"Unique","id":"THES48864"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[{"text":"Balanchine, George","id":"N1309"},{"text":"Stravinsky, Igor Fyodorovich","id":"N4290"},{"text":"Toumanova, Tamara","id":"N4381"}],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":["Balustrade"],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.161-1985"],"accessionNumberNum":"161","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1985,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-06-09","recordCreationDate":"2004-09-20","availableToBook":true}}