{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1289630"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1289630/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2015HL0426/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2015HL0426/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2015HL0426","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1289630","accessionNumber":"S.642-2014","objectType":"Illustration","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"Line drawing by Adrian Allinson showing the climatic moment of the ballet, The Midnight Sun when the youth chosen to symbolise the sun ‘is lifted towards the dawn to propitiate the god and ensure the coming of the sun’. The youth, holding a sun disc in each raised hand, is lifted by the shepherds, surrounded by the buffoons with the peasant women in their large Kokoshniks along the back. Over the stage hang the rows of suns with faces. Signed ‘Allinson’ in the bottom left hand corner.\r\n\nSoleil de Nuit (The Midnight Sun) was the first ballet choreographed by Léonide Massine to be staged by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes and premiered at the Grand Théâtre, Geneva on 20 December 1915. While he was creating the production Massine was mentored by the ballet’s designer Michel Larionov who was fascinated by Russian peasant traditions and folk-lore. The music was taken from Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov’s opera Snegourochka (The Snow Maiden).  First performed at the London Coliseum 19 November 1918 when the solo for the Snow Maiden (danced by Lydia Lopokova) was added.\n\nThe synopsis in the programme for the London Coliseum reads:\r\nThe Midnight Sun belongs to Pagan, primitive Russia\r\nAt this time of year when in these Norther regions, the Sun rises soon after midnight, there are ceremonies and dances to hail the coming of Yarilo, the Sun-god of ancient times.\r\nThe whole village takes part in the ritual, which includes dances by buffoons, and by the ‘Innocent’ who assumes such prominence in Russian folk-lore.\r\nThe Midnight Sun is symbolised by a youth chosen from the village, who, at the end of the ritual, is lifted towards the dawn to propitiate the god and ensure the coming of the sun.\r\n\r\nAllinson’s drawing suggests the format for a frontispiece for a booklet in Cyril Beaumont’s series Impressions of the Russian Ballet but this was never produced.\r\n","physicalDescription":"Line drawing by Adrian Allinson showing the climatic moment of the ballet, The Midnight Sun, when the youth chosen to symbolise the sun ‘is lifted towards the dawn to propitiate the god and ensure the coming of the sun’. The youth/Yarilo holding a sun disc in each raised hand, is lifted by the shepherds, surrounded by the buffoons with the peasant women in their large Kokoshniks along the back. Over the stage hang the rows of suns with faces. Signed ‘Allinson’ in the bottom left hand corner.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Allinson, Adrian Paul ROI, RBA","id":"A5457"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"drawn","id":"x30545"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Pen and black ink in paper","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Dance","id":"THES252984"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2015HL0426"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"003","id":"THES352254"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"drawings","id":"AAT33973"}],[{"text":"illustrations","id":"AAT15578"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"London","id":"x28980"},"association":{"text":"Drawn","id":"x30545"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca.1918","earliest":"1913-01-01","latest":"1922-12-31"},"association":{"text":"drawn","id":"x30545"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Cyril W. Beaumont Bequest","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"18","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"frame of image","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"19.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"width of image frame","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"19.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"height of paper","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"21","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"width of paper","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"signed Allinson","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"Cyril Beaumont Collection. This is a drawing for the fronticepiece for the proposed booklet in the series of Impressions of the Russian Ballet which never appeared.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Illustration by Adrian Allinson showing the ballet, The Midnight Sun (Soleil de nuit) as performed by Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes probably at the London Coliseum in 1918","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[{"text":"Diaghilev Ballets Russes","id":"C7870"}],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.642-2014"],"accessionNumberNum":"642","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2014,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-05-07","recordCreationDate":"2014-04-01","availableToBook":true}}