After Jean Bérain
1640-1711
Costume for Court Ballet
ca. 1720
9 11/16 x 6 7/16 inches (246 x 163 mm)
Watercolor, metallic watercolor and white opaque watercolor over graphite on laid paper.
1982.75:686
Gift of Mrs. Donald M. Oenslager, 1982.
Notes
Watermark: crown surmounting a shield (partial).
Donald Oenslager attributed this sheet to Jean I Berain, the famed designer of courtly entertainments under Louis XIV. It is more likely the work of a designer from the generation following Berain the Elder. By 1710 the French stage adopted short breeches worn under flared coattails widened by hoops. The touches of silver in the costume serve to exploit the soft candlelight of interior performances. The dancer's cape and ostrich feather headdress reflect the continuing tradition of the baroque stage well into the eighteenth century.
Donald Oenslager attributed this sheet to Jean I Berain, the famed designer of courtly entertainments under Louis XIV. It is more likely the work of a designer from the generation following Berain the Elder. By 1710 the French stage adopted short breeches worn under flared coattails widened by hoops. The touches of silver in the costume serve to exploit the soft candlelight of interior performances. The dancer's cape and ostrich feather headdress reflect the continuing tradition of the baroque stage well into the eighteenth century.
Inscriptions/Markings
Numbered on verso, "8".
Associated names
Oenslager, Donald, 1902-1975, former owner.
Artist
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Catalog link
Department