[Saint-Saëns, Camille. (1835-1921)]
Original Costume and Jewelry Designs for "Samson et Dalila"
An interesting collection of original costume and jewelry designs for the 1892 Paris Opéra production of Saint-Saëns' opera Samson et Dalila. The 18 ink and pencil drawings on 8 pages depict several pieces of the elaborate jewelry created for the production by the Parisian theatrical jewelry and armory firm of Leblanc-Granger & Gutperle. Also included are 5 cardboard templates for the shapes of the jewelry.The drawings include: a highly detailed design for a necklace, executed in charcoal and labeled with the names of gems in pen, with three drawings of smaller ornaments mounted on the verso; 2 costume sketches in pencil with jewelry and headdresses painted in blue, yellow, white, and green, mounted back-to-back, one noted as the first costume for [Blanche] Deschamps-Jéhin, who played Dalila; two costume drawings in ink, labeled with the names of fabrics and mounted side-by-side, with further drawings of jeweled ornaments mounted on the verso; two small pencil drawings of ornamental headdresses and breastplates, mounted side-by-side; and several larger drawings of jewelry details. The drawings are overall in fair to good condition, with heavy wear, creases, and significant splits and tears, ranging in size from 8 x 10 inches to 26 x 22 inches. The cardboard templates are in fine condition, measuring from 2 x 2 to 11 x 12 inches.
Samson et Dalila, Saint-Saëns' grand opera on the biblical story of love and temptation, premiered in Weimar with the support of Franz Liszt in 1877. French opera houses, however, did not become interested in the work until the 1890's; after a series of productions in smaller houses, the Paris Opéra finally staged their premiere of the opera on November 23, 1892, and it became a success with audiences and critics alike. Under the supervision of Saint-Saëns, the opera was conducted by Édouard Colonne with Blanche Deschamps-Jéhin as Dalila and Edmond Vergnet as Samson. The scenery was by Amable, Eugène Gardy, and Eugène Carpezat, with costumes by Charles Bianchini.
From the recent auction of the archives of the Paris Opéra. (13880)
Art Ephemera Opera