Oliver Messel 1904-1978 British School 20th.Century. Watercolour heightened with white gouache over charcoal, an original Stage design for Sleeping Beauty Act II, The Panorama Scene with the Lilac Fairy and Prince Florimund in a magical boat drawn by Seahorses. Sadler's Wells Ballet at Covent Garden February 1946. 43 by 29.2 cms. To mounted image. 59.3 by 46.5 cms framed overall. Provenance: Sothebys 22 October 1987 Ballet Sale Lot 882.
Oliver Messel was the foremost British stage and costume designer of the 1930s, '40s and '50s. "By far the most talented designer of his generation" and "one of the greatest set and costume designers England has ever produced." The 'Messel Production' of Sleeping Beauty (1946) for which this is an original design, was arguably his defining masterpiece. Often revived (notably in New York, 1949 & in Russia 1961), it was originally produced for the Sadler's Wells Ballet at The Royal Opera House in February 1946. His vibrant unconventional and opulent designs for the production caused a sensation that defied the drab post war austerity of the time.
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