{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1155112"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1155112/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EA6863/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2010EA6863/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2010EA6863","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2014GY5319","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1155112/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1155112","accessionNumber":"S.5310-2009","objectType":"Print","titles":[{"title":"Caricature by Nicolai and Sergei Legat of Mathilde Kshesinska","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Nicolai Legat (1869-1937) and his brother Sergei (1875-1905) were dancers, choreographers, teachers of ballet and caricaturists. Both worked for the Russian Imperial Ballet. Nicolai became an important teacher and after leaving the Imperial Ballet in 1914 went on to teach dance in Russia, Paris and London, where he eventually settled.  Sergei, regarded as the greater choreographer and perceived as the natural successor to Pavel Gerdt as the Imperial Ballet's Premier danseur noble, died by suicide, aged 30. \r\n\r\nThe brothers worked together to produce caricatures of fellow dancers and choreographers.  Mathilde Kschesinska (1872-1971), prima ballerina assoluta of the Russian Imperial Ballet is shown dancing the role of the gipsy girl Esmeralda in the ballet of the same name, based on Victor Hugo's <i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i>. Kschesinska amassed a substantial collection of jewels so the diamond earrings would have been her own and for the ballet she adopted a pet goat. The length of the tutu worn by the ballerina indicates how short they were being worn in the 1890s.","physicalDescription":"Caricature of Mathilde Kshesinska as Esmeralda by Nicolai and Sergei Legat. She is shown wearing a grey-blue tutu with a red sash with bobbles, a red headdress and dazzling diamond earrings. She is dancing accompanied by her goat and is holding a tambourine in her right hand.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Legat, Nicolai","id":"A30774"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Legat, Sergei","id":"A30773"},"association":{"text":"artist","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"printing ink","id":"AAT187371"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"chromolithography","id":"AAT53272"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Chromolithograph","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Prints","id":"THES48903"},{"text":"Dance","id":"THES252984"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2010EA6863","2014GY5319"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"006","id":"THES356609"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Print","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"St Petersburg","id":"x29178"},"association":{"text":"printed","id":"x46159"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1902-1905","earliest":"1902-01-01","latest":"1905-12-31"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x30545"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"31","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"23.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'M. KCHÉCINSKAJA'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Printed, lower right hand corner. The name also appears in Russian, lower left hand corner, and the artists' names are printed to the left of the figure."},{"content":"'50'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Number in pencil in upper right hand corner"}],"objectHistory":"The image is taken from <i>The Russian Ballet in Caricatures, St Petersburg</i>, 1902-1905, a portfolio of 95 prints.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Caricature by Nicolai and Sergei Legat of Mathilde Kschessinskaya as Esmeralda in the ballet <i>Esmeralda</i>","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Legat, N. &amp; S, <i>Russky Balet v Karikatura</i>, St Petersburg 1902-05\nLegat, N. <i>Ballet Russe</i> London, 1939\nGregory, John. <i>The Legat Saga - Golden Years of the Russian Ballet: the life and times of Nicolai Legat</i> ( London: Javog Publishing Associates, 1992), p.18.\nHall, Coryne. <i>Imperial Dancer, Mathilde Kschessinska and the Romanovs</i> (Sutton Publishing, 2005) p.38\nKschessinskaya, Matilde. <i>Dancing in Petersburg:The Memoirs of Kschessinska</i> Trans Arnold Haskell 1960"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Legat, Nicolai (trans. Paul Dukes) <i>Ballet Russe Memoirs of Nicholas Legat</i> (London: Methuen, 1939), p.8."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Kshesinska, Mathilda","id":"N15860"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.5310-2009"],"accessionNumberNum":"5310","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2009,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2024NR9665"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-18","recordCreationDate":"2010-02-18","availableToBook":true}}