Accession Number1948/1.221
TitleCostume for 'Coppelia' by Delibes: Automat
Artist(s)Georg KirstaArtist NationalityRussian (culture or style)Object Creation Date1929Medium & Supportgouache heightened with gold on paperDimensions 12 1/8 in x 8 3/4 in (30.8 cm x 22.2 cm)
Credit LineMuseum PurchaseSubject matterCoppelia is a ballet by French composer Leo Delibes. It opened in Paris in May of 1870. It is a comical twist on E.T.A. Hoffman's "Der Sandmann" (1816).
Georg Kirsta was a Russian painter and costume and set designer who worked for European theatres and ballet companies. After the Russian Revolution, Kirsta emigrated to Berlin, Germany and then to Vienna, Austria; in the late 1930s, Kirsta moved to London. Throughout Kirsta's career, he worked for Bronislava Nijinska, Hedy Pfundmayr, Grete Wiesenthal, Hilde Holger, and Helene Tels; Kirsta also worked with the Metropolitain Ballet and the London Festival Ballet. In 1951, Kirsta organized a new Original Ballet Russe after the death of his associate Wassily de Basil, the co-creator of Les Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo with George Balanchine. Kirsta had an integral role in the popularization of ballet across the world.
Physical DescriptionThis costume design consists of a short-sleeve, pink top with a peplum over knee-length skirt with a pink hem. The right side of the top has a brown edge, including the hem of its sleeve. There is also a brown stripe between the pink hem and white skirt. A jaunty beret with pink feather appears on the head of the dancer.
Primary Object ClassificationDrawingCollection AreaModern and ContemporaryRightsIf you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit
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Keywords
Russian (culture or style)
ballets (performance events)
costume (mode of fashion)
costume designers
costumes
dolls
modern and contemporary art
scenographers