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Items Selected plates from The art of dancing explained by reading and figures

Selected plates from The art of dancing explained by reading and figures

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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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SUB-COLLECTION
Subjects

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Title
Selected plates from The art of dancing explained by reading and figures
Names
Tomlinson, Kellom (Artist)
Van der Gucht, Gerard, 1696-1776 (Engraver)
Bickham, George, 1706?-1771 (Engraver)
Collection

Prints depicting dance

Subjects

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1735 (Questionable)
Place: London
Library locations
Jerome Robbins Dance Division
Shelf locator: *MGZFD Art 1-2
Topics
Dance
Ballroom dancing -- 18th century
Dance notation
Genres
Prints
Notes
Statement of responsibility: K[ellom] T[omlinson] invt.
Content: The print titled The Music or Flourish to the Ceremony or first Honour is labeled [at top left] B. II, [at top right] P. II. The engraver is identified at lower right: G. Vandergucht sc.
Content: The print titled Passacaille is labeled [at top left] B. I., [at top right] P. XV. The engraver is identified at lower right: G. Bickham sculp.
Content: Inscription on The Music or Flourish to the Ceremony or first Honour: To my ever respected Scholars Mr. Simon Every of Egington in the County of Derby. Son to the Reverend Sir Simon Every Bart. and Miss Ann Every his Sister. This Plate is gratefully inscrib'd by their much oblig'd Servant. Kellom Tomlinson.
Content: Inscription on Passacaille [sheet partly damaged at lower right]: To Corbet Owen of Ynysmaingynne Merionethshire, and Riwsaison Montgomeryshire Esqr. & my much respected Scholar Master Richard his brother. This Plate is most humbly inscribed by their most Oblig['d ser[van]t.] Ke[llom Tomlinso]n.
Acquisition: Gift; Lincoln Kirstein, 1970.
Biographical/historical: The art of dancing explained by reading and figures was published in 1735 by Kellom Tomlinson, an English dancing master and choreographer who was born ca. 1690 and died after 1753. Its illustrations, which combined depictions of the dancers' figures along with Feuillet notation of their steps, provided a more complete picture of the dance movement, including posture and gesture, than was possible with either figures or notation alone. A second edition of this book appeared in 1744.
Biographical/historical: The engraver Gerard Vandergucht or Van der Gucht was a member of an English family of artists of Flemish origin. A prolific book illustrator, he illustrated editions of Shakespeare's plays and Cervantes's novel Don Quixote. The name George Bickham was shared by a father and son, both engravers with similar styles that are difficult to differentiate. The younger George Bickham is perhaps best known for his illustrations to The musical entertainer (1737-1739), which suggests an interest in music and dance subjects, a possible link to The art of dancing.
Physical Description
Engravings
Extent: 2 prints : engraving, hand-col. ; 22 x 18 cm., line border 21 x 18 cm. or smaller.
Description
Two plates from Kellom Tomlinson's dance manual The art of dancing (1735). Both portray dancers in action (in these examples, seen from the back) combined with Feuillet notation of their steps and music notation. The plates published in Tomlinson's books were not colored; these prints have been hand-colored. The print titled The Music or Flourish to the Ceremony or first Honour depicts a man and a woman; Passacaille depicts two men.
Type of Resource
Still image
Notated music
Identifiers
RLIN/OCLC: 774036500
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19527605
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): f1142bd0-f27a-0132-fc9a-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

  • 1735: Issued
  • 2019: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Selected plates from The art of dancing explained by reading and figures" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1735. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/918f4f00-f27c-0132-dd55-58d385a7b928

Chicago/Turabian Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. "Selected plates from The art of dancing explained by reading and figures" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 12, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/918f4f00-f27c-0132-dd55-58d385a7b928

APA Format

Jerome Robbins Dance Division, The New York Public Library. (1735). Selected plates from The art of dancing explained by reading and figures Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/918f4f00-f27c-0132-dd55-58d385a7b928

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/918f4f00-f27c-0132-dd55-58d385a7b928 | title= (still image) Selected plates from The art of dancing explained by reading and figures, (1735) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=October 12, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Selected plates from The art of dancing explained by reading and figures