Research Catalog

Cia Fornaroli collection of costume drawings and prints [items in mats]

Title
Cia Fornaroli collection of costume drawings and prints [items in mats] [graphic].
Publication
[18--?]

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StatusContainerFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Box 1Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 1Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 2Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 2Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 3Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 3Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 4Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 4Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 5Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 5Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 6Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 6Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 7Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 7Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 8Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 8Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 9Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 9Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 10Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 10Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 11Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 11Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance
Box 12Still imageSupervised use *MGZGV 12-6431 Box 12Performing Arts Research Collections - Dance

Details

Additional Authors
  • Borri, Pasquale, 1820-1884.
  • Rossi-Brighenti, Alessandro.
  • Vigano, E.
Description
  • 216 drawings : watercolor, gouache, metallic pigment, graphite, ink, color; 32 x 23 cm. or smaller.
  • 1 drawing : ink, wash, b&w ;
  • 5 prints : lithograph, etching, color ;
Summary
  • The Cia Fornaroli collection of costume drawings and prints comprises 481 original drawings and 24 prints adapted as costume designs, for a total of 505 items. Of this number, 217 drawings and 5 prints were mounted in mats; 264 drawings and 19 prints are stored as loose sheets. Because of Fornaroli's background as a ballerina, choreographer, teacher, and director at the Teatro alla Scala and its associated school, it has been assumed that most of these designs were made for ballet or opera productions at La Scala, chiefly during the nineteenth century, although in some instances the world premieres of these works may have been presented elsewhere. Few of the items in this collection are labeled with the title of the ballet or opera. Although an attempt has been made to link the designs to particular ballets or operas, in most cases the links have not been confirmed. Some of the designs may never have been realized onstage. Almost all of the original drawings depict single figures against a plain background, in portrait format. Many include notations, which are often difficult to decipher, by the designer or others; some are numbered. Some notations were added by library staff in the course of processing. Only a small proportion of the original drawings have been signed by the artist. The bulk of these are 135 items signed by E. Schiano, while 23 items are signed by E. Vigano. The full names of these artists have not been identified. Three items are signed by Alessandro Rossi Brighenti. Isolated names appear on other items, but it is often uncertain whether they are artist's signatures or the names of the performers. Twenty-four items are etchings or lithographs from various sources, often with additional markings and/or notations by the designer.
  • This part of the collection contains original drawings and prints mounted in mats. They have been grouped in rough categories based on various criteria. The first two groups contain signed works by E. Vigano and Alessandro Rossi Brighenti. The next seven groups contain designs tentatively linked to particular ballets, arranged in chronological order. The following four groups contain designs that appear to be related stylistically or thematically, but have not been linked to a particular work. A group of 17 items are embossed or stamped with the name Borri or P. Borri, probably signifying the dancer-choreographer Pasquale Borri, and may have been made for his ballets. Five groups are organized by broad subject categories: Pulcinella figures, Scottish-inspired costumes, folk and ethnic costumes, miscellaneous men's costumes, and miscellaneous women's costumes. In a category by itself is an ink and wash drawing containing two fully delineated figures, a rarity in this collection.
Subjects
Genre/Form
Costume design drawings.
Note
  • Title devised by cataloger.
Source (note)
  • Walter Toscanini.
  • Lillian Moore.
Biography (note)
  • Cia (Lucia) Fornaroli was an Italian ballerina, teacher, choreographer, and director. Trained at the ballet school of La Scala, Milan, she danced for a time as prima ballerina of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, before returning to perform at La Scala in 1918. As the director of the ballet school of La Scala, and later in her own dance studio in New York, she handed down her art to future generations of dancers. She was married to Walter Toscanini, the son of conductor Arturo Toscanini, whose work as a dance historian, editor, collector, and curator complemented her contributions to the field of dance.
Contents
  • Box 1. Nos. 1-20 -- Box 2. Nos. 21-34 -- Box 3. Nos. 35-49 -- Box 4. Nos. 50-62 -- Box 5. Nos. 63-77 -- Box 6. Nos. 78-102 -- Box 7. Nos. 103-126 -- Box 8. Nos. 127-145 -- Box 9. Nos. 146-168 -- Box 10. Nos. 169-190 -- Box 11. Nos. 191-210 -- Box 12. Nos. 211-222.
  • Nos. 1-23 (23 items). Designs signed by E. Vigano. Each figure is depicted standing on a small pink platform with a diagonal pattern. Among these drawings are three designs (nos. 1-3) for the ballet La Esmeralda, based on Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris. Two choreographers' versions of this ballet were presented at La Scala during the nineteenth century: Antonio Monticini's in 1839 and Jules Perrot's in 1844. In both productions the costumes were credited to Rovaglia. See also additional designs for La Esmeralda, below. A design labeled "Ponchart" (no. 17) is stamped "Propriete Borri," and may depict the character Ponchard in Pasquale Borri's ballet Un'avventura di carnevale (1859). Note that no. 22, an otherwise unlabeled drawing of a woman in a brief huntress's costume, is signed simply Vigano, in pencil.
  • Nos. 24-26 (3 items). Designs by Alessandro Rossi Brighenti, using the signatures Aless or Alessdr Rossi Brighenti fece (=fecit, Latin for "made"). Includes two designs (nos. 24-25) for women's costumes, both labeled "Ballabile per la favorita," possibly made for Gaetano Donizetti's opera La favorita, first presented at La Scala in 1843. Alessandro Rossi Brighenti was a dancer and choreographer.
  • Nos. 27-31 (5 items). Ines di Castro. Artist(s) unidentified. Labeled "Ines" at upper right. Includes a lithograph (no. 29), with added notations, of Jules Perrot as Alain in the ballet La filleule des fées. The design labeled "Gitano" (no. 31) is the gift of Lillian Moore. Two ballets with this title were presented at La Scala in the nineteenth century: Salvatore Taglioni's Ines di Castro ossia Pietro di Portogallo (1827), with costumes credited to Rosa Cervi, and a 1831 revival of Antonio Cortesi's Ines di Castro, first performed in Turin in 1827; the costumes for La Scala were credited to Guidetti and Antonietta Maggi.
  • Nos. 32-42 (11 items). Nabucodonosor (also spelled Nabuccodonosor). Artist unidentified. Includes designs for the characters Nabucodonosor, Abigaille, Gran Sacerdote di Belo, Abdallo, and others. Antonio Cortesi's ballet Nabucodonosor was performed at La Scala in 1838, with costumes by Rovaglia.
  • Nos. 43-65 (23 items). La Esmeralda. Artist unidentified; different style from that of E. Vigano, above. Included in this group are designs for the characters Esmeralda; Fiordalisa; Aloisa, Fiordalisa's mother; Febo (i.e., Phoebus); Quasimodo; and [Claudio] Frollo (nos. 43-48). These designs were probably made for Jules Perrot's version of La Esmeralda, staged at La Scala in 1844 (with costumes credited to Rovaglia), since the characters Quasimodo and Aloisa do not appear in Antonio Monticini's version of 1839. The other designs in this group have been placed here largely because of their stylistic similarity; many are labeled as Gypsies (Zingare, Zingari), officials, beggars, or other minor roles that could have plausibly formed part of the cast.
  • Nos. 66-77 (12 items). Il conte di Montecristo. Artist not identified. Includes designs for the characters Caderousse, Mercedes, and Penelon. Giuseppe Rota's ballet Il conte di Montecristo, based on Alexandre Dumas's novel Le comte de Monte-Cristo, was first presented in Venice in 1856? and staged at La Scala by Efisio Catte in 1857, with costumes by Pirola and Cattaneo.
  • Nos. 78-80 (3 items). La giuocoliera (also spelled La giocoliera). Artist unidentified. Designs for the characters Giorgio, Momo, and Carlotto. Pasquale Borri's ballet La giuocoliera was first presented in Venice in 1856, and staged at La Scala in 1857, with costumes by Pirola and Cattaneo.
  • Nos. 81-113 (33 items). La contessa d'Egmont. Artist unidentified. Includes designs for the characters Comte d'Egmont, Davigny, Duberval [sic], and others. Giuseppe Rota's ballet La contessa d'Egmont was first presented at La Scala in 1861, and revived by Giuseppe Bini after Rota at La Scala in 1863; in both cases the costumes were credited to Luigi Zamperoni. For E. Schiano's designs for La contessa d'Egmont, see: *MGZGV 12-2321.
  • Nos. 114-122 (9 items). Designs for an unidentified ballet or opera including the characters Eloisa and Leonello. Artist unidentified. All the designs in this group are drawn on grey paper. Eloisa is labeled as a "giovane contadinella"; Leonello as a "giovane giardiniere."
  • Nos. 123-132 (10 items). Designs for an unidentified ballet or opera including the character Giorgio. Artist unidentified. In addition to the characters Giorgio, his brother Avelino, and his father Rodolfo, this group includes celestial or supernatural beings.
  • Nos. 133-148 (16 items). Designs for an unidentified ballet or opera set in the sixteenth century. Artist unidentified. Each item is numbered (with many gaps in sequence) in blue crayon. Includes the characters Don Loigi [?], La Perez [?], Duca Ricco, and others.
  • Nos. 149-160 (12 items). Designs by the same hand, unidentified. All include penciled notations in the same handwriting. Among this group are several figures labeled as Spaniards, in sixteenth-century costumes; Gypsies, Mexicans, and others. It is not known whether they were intended for a single work or several different works.
  • Nos. 161-177 (17 items). Designs embossed "P. Borri" or stamped "Propriete Borri," probably signifying the dancer-choreographer Pasquale Borri. Artists unidentified. Some or all of these drawings may have been for ballets choreographed by Borri. A male figure labeled Ministri di Loki, who appears in two nearly identical drawings (nos. 162-163), may be a design for Borri's La dea del Valhalla, first performed at La Scala in 1870, with costumes by Luigi Zamperoni. Some of the other drawings may also belong to this ballet. Note that additional designs stamped "Propriete Borri" are grouped among E. Vigano's designs and the Pulcinella figures.
  • Nos. 178-180 (3 items). Pulcinella figures. Artists unidentified. Three male figures, masked and costumed as clowns in the tradition of the commedia dell'arte character Pulcinella. One figure (no. 179) is stamped "Propriete Borri."
  • Nos. 181-190 (10 items). Scottish-inspired costumes. Artist(s) unidentified. Some of the figures in this group are labeled as Scottish; others have been included here because they wear similar lozenge-patterned costumes that seem to signify tartans. Note that one design for a man's costume (no. 187) includes a lightly drawn graphite sketch of a second figure wearing a similar costume, but in a different pose.
  • Nos. 191-198 (8 items). Various folk and ethnic costumes. Artists unidentified. Among the group are two prints: a male figure labeled "Russo" (no. 195) and a female tarantella dancer (no. 198). A woman's figure labeled Zingare [Gypsies] may bear an artist's signature, S. de Candia [?], Milano. It has also been labeled Ines de Castro, possibly by library staff, but is stylistically different from the Ines de Castro group above (nos. 27-31).
  • Nos. 199-201 (3 items). Mythological and fantasy figures. Artists unidentified. Includes the trident-bearing figure of Netuno [Neptune], the Roman sea god; a female? figure in fur and feathers, carrying a hoop; and a butterfly-covered figure labeled "Papillione direttore della Festa."
  • Nos. 202-213 (12 items). Miscellaneous designs for men. Artists unidentified. The drawing labeled Capo dei pescatori (no. 203) is stylistically similar to the drawings by E. Vigano, but lacks a signature and platform for the figure. The design labeled Passo di carettere (no. 206) bears a rudimentary graphite sketch of a dancing man on the verso. A design labeled Nozze in prigione may have been made for the melodramma buffo composed by Emilio Usiglio, first presented at the Teatro Manzoni in Milan in 1881.
  • Nos. 214-221 (8 items). Miscellaneous designs for women. Artists unidentified. A drawing of a dancer (no. 214) may bear an artist's signature, C. Prizzi. A drawing labeled Pescatrice (no. 216) is also labeled Ballo in Stella; a possible link is Filippo Izzo's ballet Stella, first presented at the Teatro San Carlo, Naples, in 1864. A design for a dancer (No. 219) is a print, with an added headdress.
  • No. 222 (1 item). Ink and wash drawing of two figures in medieval costume, the woman labeled Elvira, the man Guido. Artist unidentified.
Call Number
*MGZGV 12-6431
OCLC
826774560
Title
Cia Fornaroli collection of costume drawings and prints [items in mats] [graphic].
Imprint
[18--?]
Biography
Cia (Lucia) Fornaroli was an Italian ballerina, teacher, choreographer, and director. Trained at the ballet school of La Scala, Milan, she danced for a time as prima ballerina of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, before returning to perform at La Scala in 1918. As the director of the ballet school of La Scala, and later in her own dance studio in New York, she handed down her art to future generations of dancers. She was married to Walter Toscanini, the son of conductor Arturo Toscanini, whose work as a dance historian, editor, collector, and curator complemented her contributions to the field of dance.
Local Note
Cataloging funds provided by Friends of Jerome Robbins Dance Division.
For 283 additional costume designs from the Cia Fornaroli collection, stored as loose sheets, see: *MGZGV 12-2321.
For the lithograph of Jules Perrot as Alain in La filleule des fées, see: *MGZFB Per J Fil 1.
Source
Gift; Walter Toscanini.
Gitano design from Ines de Castro (no. 31) Gift; Lillian Moore.
Connect to:
NYPL Digital Collections
Added Author
Borri, Pasquale, 1820-1884. Associated name
Rossi-Brighenti, Alessandro. Costume designer
Vigano, E. Costume designer
Toscanini, Walter, 1898-1971. Donor
Moore, Lillian. Donor
Research Call Number
*MGZGV 12-6431
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