Orientalist images of dance in prints

Item data

Title

Orientalist images of dance in prints

Collection

Prints depicting dance
Theatrical dancers, singly or in pairs

Names

Bunbury, Henry William, 1750-1811 (Attributed name)
Chapman, J. (John), active 1792-1823 (Engraver)
Denon, Vivant, 1747-1825 (Artist)
Mansell, Joseph, 1803-1874 (Attributed name)
Mantegazza, Giacomo, 1853-1920 (Artist)

Date / Origin

Date Issued: 1800 - 1899 (Approximate)

Table Of Contents

Morigiani reconnoit le Voleur Arab malgré son deguisement et le poignarde tandis qu'il dansoit en présence de son Maitre. Les Contes Arabes -- Dancing girl [handwritten on the verso] / J[oseph?] Mansell, 1856 [handwritten on the verso] -- [Dancing couple; the male figure appears to be a woman en travesti] -- [Two dancing women] -- [Two women dancing in an interior, accompanied by female musicians, with a man and two women observing. Title trimmed off] / Denon delt. ; J. Chapman sculp -- [Female dancer with tambourine, accompanied by male musicians] / G. Mantegazza -- [Female dancer] / Edouard-Duberte [?] 67 [?] ; Imp. Lemercier et Cie., Paris.

Library Location

Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZFX Ori 1-7

Subjects

Dancers -- Turkey
Dancers -- Egypt
Dancers -- Middle East
Orientalism in dance

Genres

Prints

Notes

Acquisition: Morigiani reconnoit le Voleur Arab, [Dancing couple with woman en travesti] Gift; Lincoln Kirstein.
Acquisition: [Female dancer with tambourine] Gift; Cia Fornaroli Toscanini Collection, 1954.
Biographical/Historical: The British Museum holds a print with the English title "Morigiani Discovering the Arabian Robber through his Disguise Stabs him whilst Dancing before her Master." Its image reverses that of the print in this collection. Published in London in 1790, it was engraved by Thomas Ryder and Laurence J. Cosse after the British etcher and caricaturist Henry William Bunbury. A print with the French title "Morigiani reconnoit le voleur arabe et le poignarde" is listed in entry 10707 of the catalog Cabinet de M. Paignon Dijonval (1810) as the second of four prints by Bunbury on subjects drawn from "contes arabes," but cannot be confirmed as the same print in this collection.
Biographical/Historical: The print of two women dancing in an interior is also held by the Wellcome Library in London under the title: "A man smoking a long pipe with a woman leaning against him is watching as two women dance to the tune played by the woman with a pipe. Coloured engraving by J. Chapman after Denon." Its publication information is given as: London, J. Wilkes, 1804.

Physical Description

Etchings
Lithographs
Extent: 7 prints : etching, engraving, or lithograph, color, one color or b&w ; 40 x 30 cm. or smaller.

Abstract

Collection culled from various sources, chiefly dating from the nineteenth century. Many of the prints in this collection have been trimmed of identifying captions or text. These prints depict dancers from Egypt, Turkey, Persia, and other countries of the Middle East, as seen through the eyes of European artists. Some images may have been inspired by theatrical works or ballets. In general, glamour and exoticism are stressed, rather than ethnographic accuracy. Most of the dancers portrayed are women, although this collection includes prints of a man disguised as a woman, and a woman costumed as a man.

Identifiers

RLIN/OCLC: 825776064
NYPL Catalog ID (bnumber): b19760354
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 56819830-89be-0134-03b9-00505686a51c

Rights

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.

Type Of Resource

Still Image

Date Issued

1800

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