{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O127038"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127038/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BK8023/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BK8023/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006BK8023","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O127038/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O127038","accessionNumber":"S.253-2006","objectType":"Set design","titles":[{"title":"Rashomon","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Great Britain’s leading theatre designer from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s, Oliver Messel (1904-1978) won international acclaim for his lavish, painterly and poetic designs informed by period styles. His work spans ballet, drama, film, musical, opera and revue. Messel’s traditional style of theatre design became unfashionable from the mid 1950s onwards, and he increasingly concentrated on painting, interior and textile design, including designing luxury homes in the Caribbean.\r\n\r\nOliver Messel won an Antoinette Perry 'Tony' Award for his set for <i>Rashomon</i>, a play directed by Peter Glenville and performed at the Music Box, New York in 1959. Although a box office failure, the play was critically acclaimed. Brooks Atkinson praised Messel’s atmospheric set: ‘…Oliver Messel’s settings, representing the decaying Rashomon gate and a barbaric bamboo jungle are like the illustrations for a macabre legend.  <i>Rashomon</i> is an incantation of things far away and long since forgotten.’ (<i>New York Times</i>, 28 January 1959).\r\n\r\nThe leading female character made her way through a Japanese forest on horseback toward a ruined temple.  The stage revolved, so that the forest glades and the horse appeared to move.","physicalDescription":"Design for the stage property horse in <i>Rashomon</i>, 1959. A white horse with saddle, bridle and straps decorated with red tassels..","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Messel, Oliver Hilary Sambourne","id":"A4929"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"charcoal","id":"AAT12862"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"pencil","id":"x30347"},{"text":"gouache","id":"AAT70114"},{"text":"watercolour","id":"x33202"},{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"},{"text":"wash","id":"AAT11051"},{"text":"paint","id":"AAT15029"}],"techniques":[{"text":"drawing (image-making)","id":"AAT54196"},{"text":"painting (image making)","id":"AAT54216"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Charcoal, pencil, ink, gouache and watercolour on paper","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Designs","id":"THES48968"},{"text":"Theatre properties","id":"THES286250"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2006BK8023"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"001","id":"THES356267"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"stage property design","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"designed","id":"x29338"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1959","earliest":"1959-01-01","latest":"1959-12-31"},"association":{"text":"designed","id":"x29338"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Acquired with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Friends of the V&A","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"25.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"37.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'2 6ft 2 4ft leaves for c...y [indescipherable] Husband leaves - small dried leaves for throwing.'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Inscription in biro on the reverse of the design."}],"objectHistory":"<i>Rashomon</i>, a play in two acts by Faye and Michael Kanin and adapted from Akira Kurosawa's film (1950) of the same name which in turn was based on a story by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1915). Oliver Messel’s production was first produced by David Susskind and Hardy Smith at the Music Box Theatre, New York, on 27 January 1959. It was directed by Peter Glenville with music by Laurence Rosenthal and featured Claire Bloom, Noel Willman and Rod Steiger. Messel won an Antoinette Perry ‘Tony’ award for his set designs in 1959.\n\r\nLord Snowdon, Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's theatre designs and other designs and artefacts. The designs were briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being housed at the V&A from 1981 on indefinite loan. The V&A Theatre Museum purchased the Oliver Messel collection from Lord Snowdon in 2005.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Design by Oliver Messel for a Horse used as stage property in Fay Kanin and Michael Kanin's adaptation of <i>Rashomon</i>, Music Box Theatre, New York, 1959","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Pinkham, Roger (ed.) <u>Oliver Messel: an exhibition held at the Theatre Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, 22 June - 30 September 1983.</u> \r\nLondon: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1983.  200p., ill\r\nISBN 0905209508)"}],"production":"Reason For Production: Commission","productionType":{"text":"Design","id":"THES48872"},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.253-2006"],"accessionNumberNum":"253","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2006,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"TM Rotation Number","id":"THES50368"},"number":"ROT 2301"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-08","recordCreationDate":"2006-08-14","availableToBook":true}}