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The three graces

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Jerome Robbins Dance Division

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COLLECTION
Prints depicting dance

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Subjects

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This Item

The three graces

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Title
The three graces
Names
Sarony, Napoleon, 1821-1896 (Lithographer)
Grisi, Carlotta, 1819-1899 (Associated name)
Collection

Prints depicting dance

Subjects

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1840 - 1849 (Questionable)
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZFD Sar N Thr 2
Topics
Taglioni, Marie, 1804-1884
Elssler, Fanny, 1810-1884
Cerrito, Fanny
Graces, The
Ballerinas -- 19th century
Genres
Prints
Notes
Statement of responsibility: [signed on stone] Sarony.
Numbering: Printed below title: 189.
Acquisition: Gift; Gisela A. Llallach.
Biographical/historical: This is a variant of an iconic image of the Romantic ballet, depicting three leading ballerinas of the period in their famous roles. Two of the three are indisputable: Marie Taglioni in the title role of Filippo Taglioni's La sylphide (first performed in 1832), and Fanny Elssler in the role of Florinda, dancing the cachucha in Jean Coralli's Le diable boiteux (first performed in 1836). The third dancer, though labeled as Fanny Cerrito, has been identified instead as Carlotta Grisi in the role of Beatrix, dancing the pas de Diane chasseresse in Albert's La jolie fille de Gand (first performed in 1842). The original image, variously called Les trois Graces and Les Graces, is now believed to be the work of a French artist named Lejeune, whose identity remains uncertain. It was first published as a lithograph in Paris in 1844, and gave rise to copies by other printmakers, among them the Americans James Baillie, Nathaniel Currier, and Napoleon Sarony. In the original image, Taglioni was placed at the left of the print, with Elssler in the center and Grisi at the right, underscoring their significance as the past, present, and future of the contemporary ballet scene. Sarony's version reverses this sequence so that Grisi is at left and Taglioni at right. Other changes were made in the variants, among them the addition of ballet slippers to the dancers' bare feet, and the covering of Grisi's bosom with a bodice.
Physical Description
Lithographs
Extent: 1 print : lithograph, hand-colored ; 36 x 26 cm.
Description
Representation of three female ballet dancers, each in a different costume, linking hands as they dance in a landscape against a low horizon. At their feet are wreaths framing the names Cerito [sic], Ellsler [sic], and Taglioni.
Type of Resource
Still image
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 790610307
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19606960
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 221066c0-02f8-0133-59e4-58d385a7b928
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1821: Creator Born
  • 1840: Issued (Approximate)
  • 1896: Creator Died
  • 2019: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "The three graces" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1840 - 1849. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3ce235d0-02ff-0133-141d-58d385a7b928

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "The three graces" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3ce235d0-02ff-0133-141d-58d385a7b928

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1840 - 1849). The three graces Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3ce235d0-02ff-0133-141d-58d385a7b928

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3ce235d0-02ff-0133-141d-58d385a7b928 | title= (still image) The three graces, (1840 - 1849) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=April 23, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

The three graces