{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O127531"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127531/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2007BL9958/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2007BL9958/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2007BL9958","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O127531/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O127531","accessionNumber":"S.343-2006","objectType":"Costume design","titles":[{"title":"Zémire et Azor","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\nAndré Grétry’s opera <i>Zémire et Azor</i> (1771) is a version of the fairy tale, <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>. Zémire is Beauty, Azor is the Beast. This production was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Bath, as part of the 1955 Bath Festival. Messel's colourful, elegant and fantastic costumes and sets complemented the otherworldliness of the story.\r\n\r\nAli, Zander's servant, provides much of the comedy in the opera.  Messel designed a colourful Asian-style costume.","physicalDescription":"Costume design for Ali by Oliver Messel for a Bath Festival Society production of Zémire et Azor, 1955. A full length view of a man in white breeches and a short purple jacket with orange undersleeves. He has a white turban with a plume.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Messel, Oliver Hilary Sambourne","id":"A4929"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"x36960"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"},{"text":"watercolour","id":"x33202"},{"text":"charcoal","id":"AAT12862"},{"text":"pencil","id":"x30347"},{"text":"gouache","id":"AAT70114"}],"techniques":[{"text":"drawing (image-making)","id":"AAT54196"},{"text":"painting (image making)","id":"AAT54216"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Charcoal, pencil, gouache and watercolour on paper","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Opera","id":"THES263971"},{"text":"Designs","id":"THES48968"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2007BL9958"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"001","id":"THES356223"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"costume design","id":"AAT163423"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"designed","id":"x29338"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1955","earliest":"1955-01-01","latest":"1955-12-31"},"association":{"text":"designed","id":"x29338"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"S.511-2006","id":"O128651"},"association":"Object"}],"creditLine":"Acquired with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Friends of the V&A","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"38","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"25.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Oliver Messel'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Artist's signature in pencil on the bottom right hand corner on the front of the sheet."},{"content":"'Ali'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Pencil inscription on the top right hand corner on the front of the sheet."}],"objectHistory":"<i>Zémire et Azor</i> (1771) is an opera in four acts, composed by André Grétry. The libretto by Jean-François Marmontel is based on <i>Amour pour amour</i> (1742), a play by Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée, and on<i> La Belle et la bête</i> (1756). a popular story by Jeanne-Marie Laprince de Beaumont, both variants of Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's 1740 fairy tale <i>La Belle et la bête</i> (<i>Beauty and the Beast</i>). The 1955 production for the Bath Festival opened at the Theatre Royal, Bath, on 11 May. It was directed by Anthony Besch with choreography by William Chappell and featured Huguette Boulangeot as Zémire and Michael Sénécal as Azor. Oliver Messel designed the sets and costumes.\n\nLord Snowdon, Oliver Messel's nephew, inherited Messel's remaining designs and artefacts (many designs were sold or given away during the artist's lifetime). The collection was briefly stored in a disused chapel in Kensington Palace before being placed on indefinite loan to the V&amp;A Theatre Museum from 1981. The Oliver Messel Collection was purchased from Lord Snowdon in 2005 with the aid of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Art Fund and the Friends of the V&amp;A.\n\n","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Costume design by Oliver Messel for Ali in Grétry's opera <i>Zémire et Azor</i>, Bath Festival Society 1955","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.343-2006"],"accessionNumberNum":"343","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2006,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"TM Rotation Number","id":"THES50368"},"number":"ROT 4123"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-06-19","recordCreationDate":"2006-09-04","availableToBook":true}}