Headdress

ID:

31.81/1b

Production date:

c. 1925-1929

Location:

In Store

This elaborate wire headdress of paste diamonds, green stones and feathers was worn by Anna Pavlova for her famous solo Le Cygne or The Swan danced to music of Saint-Saëns. This solo was created for Pavlova in Russia in 1907 (although some sources say 1905), by choreographer and fellow dancer Mikhail Fokine. Pavlova performed this solo for the duration of her career on the stages of countries ranging from New Zealand and Japan to Mexico and Canada.  < ...Read more

This elaborate wire headdress of paste diamonds, green stones and feathers was worn by Anna Pavlova for her famous solo Le Cygne or The Swan danced to music of Saint-Saëns. This solo was created for Pavlova in Russia in 1907 (although some sources say 1905), by choreographer and fellow dancer Mikhail Fokine. Pavlova performed this solo for the duration of her career on the stages of countries ranging from New Zealand and Japan to Mexico and Canada.

Pavlova frequently had her costume and headdress for this solo updated and remodeled making this piece difficult to date. It most likely dates from the late 1920s. The headdress has lost many of its original feathers and has become slightly misshaped over time but can be indenified in many photographs of Pavlova taken from The Swan across the duration of her career. The Legion of Honor in San Francisco also holds one of Pavlova’s Swan headdresses which is very similar to the one in our collection but with a blue stone instead of green (Joseph Rous Paget-Fredericks Dance Collection BANC PIC 1964.020:004--OBJ). < Hide

Measurements

L 260 mm; W 210 mm; H 105 mm, L 260 mm; W 210 mm; H 105 mm (overall)

Materials

feather; glass; textile

Last Updated

2024-03-14