{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O165179"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O165179/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BW2644/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2008BW2644/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2008BW2644","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Michael Annals","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AG9020","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Michael Annals","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O165179","accessionNumber":"S.287-1991","objectType":"Plan","titles":[{"title":"The Royal Hunt of the Sun","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"Plan for the Sun emblem used in the Peter Shaffer's play, <i>The Royal Hunt of the Sun</i>, ANTA Theatre, New York, 1965, designed by Michael Annals. \n\nMichael Annals (1938-1990) trained at Hornsey College of Art and began his career designing sets and costumes for the Old Vic. In 1963 he joined the newly formed National Theatre Company and had his first major success with his designs for Peter Shaffer's historical epic, <i>The Royal Hunt of the Sun</i> (1964). Annals subsequently went on to have an international career, designing for theatre, ballet, opera and film, but he is most closely associated with the National Theatre, where he worked until the early 1970s. In 1984 he gave up the stage and took up photography and illustration.\r\n\r\n<i>The Royal Hunt of the Sun</i> dramatises the Spanish Conquest of Peru in the 16th century. It was first staged by the National Theatre Company at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 1964 and transferred to the Old Vic in the autumn of that year. The same production team re-created the staging in New York in 1965.  Recalling the production in 1978, Annals said that it was the most difficult that he had to design. It was impossible to fly any scenery in the Festival Theatre and the play's construction, requiring frequent changes of location, meant that a permanent set could not be used. Annals solved the problem by placing the action on a bare stage and designing an emblem which indicated the setting. Inspired by the play's title, he devised a huge segmented disc, positioned at an upper level in the back wall. On it was a Christian cross to represent Spain. Each segment was hinged and, when open, the disc became a sun, symbolising Peru. The centre of the sun was the throne room of the Inca god-king, Atahuallpa. Removable gold pieces, actually made of polystyrene covered in copper foil, were attached to the sun's rays. These could be ripped away as the conquistadors plundered the Inca treasure and destroyed Atahuallpa's empire.\r\n\r\nMoveable scenery is built from scale drawings made by the designer. The designs are reproduced as blueprints so that multiple copies are available for the stage technicians. Annals's notes on the plan made for the New York production explain how the sun emblem is to be constructed.","physicalDescription":"Dyeline. Scale drawing of the Sun emblem for the New York production of <i>The Royal Hunt of the Sun</i>, drawn to a scale of ½\" to 1'. To left the Sun closed, a segmented circle with segments of various shapes and widths, the whole decorated with a cross fleury. To centre right the segments opened out to form the Sun's rays. The drawing heavily annotated by the artist with instructions for construction.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Annals, Michael","id":"A1935"},"association":{"text":"theatre designers","id":"AAT25681"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"ink","id":"AAT15012"},{"text":"paper","id":"x30308"}],"techniques":[{"text":"dyeline","id":"x33232"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Dyeline","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment & Leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Designs","id":"THES48968"},{"text":"Theatre","id":"THES250537"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":["2008BW2644","2006AG9020"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"CAGE","id":"THES49689"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"plan","id":""}],[{"text":"set design","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Great Britain","id":"x32019"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1965","earliest":"1965-01-01","latest":"1965-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by Michael Annals","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"52.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"69","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Michael Annals designed the scenery for the premiere of <i>The Royal Hunt of the Sun</i> by the National Theatre Company at the Chichester Festival Theatre, 1964. The production transferred to the Old Vic in the autumn of 1964. Annals re-drew all the plans for the scenery when the production was re-created at the ANTA Theatre, New York, in 1965.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Plan for the Sun emblem used in the Peter Shaffer's play, <i>The Royal Hunt of the Sun</i>, ANTA Theatre, New York, 1965, designed by Michael Annals","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Arnold Wengrow, <i>Observe and show: the theatre art of Michael Annals</i> (London: V&A Publications, 2003)"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"suns","id":"x31103"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.287-1991"],"accessionNumberNum":"287","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":1991,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LN7447","2019LR5494","2019LV1024","2019LW0927"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-02-02","recordCreationDate":"2008-08-12","availableToBook":false}}